You have a FortiGate configuration with three user-defined SD-WAN zones and one or two members...

Questions no:9Verified Answer: B

Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation with all FortiSASE and SD-WAN 7.6 Core Administrator curriculum documents: According to theSD-WAN 7.6 Core Administratorstudy guide andFortiOS 7.6 Administration Guide, the behavior for deleting an SD-WAN member from the GUI when it is the only member in its zone is governed by the following operational logic:

Reference Checks: Before allowing the deletion of any SD-WAN member, FortiOS performs a "check for dependencies." If an interface is being used in an activePerformance SLAor anSD-WAN Rule, the GUI will typically prevent the deletion or gray out the option until those references are removed. However, the question specifies that this member isno longer usedin health-checks or rules.

Zone Integrity: Unlike some other network objects, an SD-WAN zone is permitted to exist without any members. When you delete the final member of a user-defined zone through the GUI, the zone itself remains in the configuration as an empty container.

Route Management: When an SD-WAN member is deleted, any static routes that were specifically tied to that interface's membership in the SD-WAN bundle are automatically updated or removed by the FortiGate to prevent routing loops or "black-holing" traffic. This is part of the automated cleanup process handled by the FortiOS management plane.

GUI vs. CLI: In the GUI, the process is streamlined to allow the removal of the member interface. Once the member is deleted, the interface returns to being a "regular" system interface and can be used for standard firewall policies or other functions.

Why other options are incorrect:

Option A: There is no requirement that a zone must contain at least one member; "empty" zones are valid configuration objects in FortiOS 7.6.

Option C: While the deletion is accepted, it is not with "no further action"—the system must still reconcile the routing table and interface status.

Option D: FortiGate does not automatically move deleted members into the default zone (virtual-wan-link). Once deleted, the interface is simply no longer an SD-WAN member.