Free Automating Cisco Data Center Networking Solutions Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Automating Cisco Data Center Networking Solutions practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1What is a defining design goal of OpenConfig YANG models?

   1. A. Describe a common, vendor-neutral network data model.
   2. B. Describe only the internal objects of Cisco NX-OS.
   3. C. Define the transport framing for NETCONF sessions.
   4. D. Convert every vendor CLI into an identical command set.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Cisco describes "vendor-neutral OpenConfig YANG data models". OpenConfig standardizes modeled data across vendors; it is neither a Cisco-only internal model nor a transport or CLI standard.

   Reference: Getting Started with Model-Driven Programmability on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches — YANG models supported by Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS

2. 2Which practice characterizes infrastructure as code for a data center fabric?

   1. A. Configuration files serve only as records after manual provisioning.
   2. B. Reusable configuration files are inputs to tools that manage infrastructure.
   3. C. Configuration files cannot drive changes and must be translated manually.
   4. D. Each provider requires an unrelated language and deployment workflow.

   Answer: B

   Explanation: HashiCorp states that IaC tools "manage infrastructure with configuration files". These files drive management rather than serving only as after-the-fact records. Its provider workflow supports a consistent language across platforms rather than requiring an unrelated language per provider.

   Reference: What is Infrastructure as Code with Terraform? — Opening definition of Infrastructure as Code

3. 3In a Python ncclient session m, which call retrieves the running configuration using the get-config RPC?

   1. A. m.get(source='running')
   2. B. m.copy_config(source='running', target='candidate')
   3. C. m.get_schema(identifier='running')
   4. D. m.get_config(source='running')

   Answer: D

   Explanation: The API documents "get_config(source, filter=None, with_defaults=None)" and maps it to GetConfig. Passing running as source selects that datastore. Get does not accept source; copy_config writes another datastore, and get_schema retrieves a schema rather than configuration.

   Reference: ncclient Manager — High-level API — Manager > get_config; Special kinds of parameters > Source and target parameters

4. 4When using CML reference platforms to validate a data center design, which conclusion respects the documented scope of their device behavior?

   1. A. Every physical ASIC feature is reproduced by each virtual image.
   2. B. Only CLI command spelling is reproduced; software protocols do not run.
   3. C. Software-level features are generally supported, with exceptions.
   4. D. Physical port optics and transceiver faults are fully reproduced.

   Answer: C

   Explanation: Cisco describes "software-level feature parity to physical devices that run the same operating system, with some exceptions". This supports software protocol and configuration tests, while requiring checks for features that depend on absent physical hardware.

   Reference: Cisco Modeling Labs v2.x — FAQ — Reference Platform and Images Questions > 1. What are reference platforms?

5. 5While an engineer writes an ncclient script, what assistance can GitHub Copilot inline suggestions provide?

   1. A. Predict code completions and edits using the surrounding code context.
   2. B. Act as a compiler that rejects every invalid device API before showing code.
   3. C. Retrieve unchanged vendor examples without generating new code suggestions.
   4. D. Complete identifier names while being unable to suggest larger code blocks.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: GitHub describes suggestions that "complete the current line, generate new blocks of code, or suggest edits to existing code." This is contextual code generation, not a compiler guarantee, retrieval-only copying, or identifier-only completion.

   Reference: Application Card: GitHub Copilot Inline Suggestions — Section 1, Overview > IDE inline suggestions

6. 6Which YANG model category is intended to expose Cisco NX-OS-specific configuration beyond a vendor-neutral common feature set?

   1. A. OpenConfig vendor-neutral YANG models.
   2. B. Cisco native NX-OS YANG models.
   3. C. IETF standardized YANG models.
   4. D. IEEE standardized YANG models.

   Answer: B

   Explanation: Cisco recommends native models "for support of specific Cisco NX-OS Software features". Native models expose NX-OS-specific coverage. OpenConfig, IETF, and IEEE models are open/common modeling families, rather than Cisco's native device schema.

   Reference: Getting Started with Model-Driven Programmability on Cisco Nexus 9000 Series Switches — YANG models supported by Cisco Nexus 9000 Series NX-OS

7. 7What does a declarative GitOps description specify for network infrastructure?

   1. A. The ordered CLI instructions that perform each configuration change.
   2. B. The procedural handlers that implement every infrastructure transition.
   3. C. The intended end state that the system should reach.
   4. D. The manual runbook steps that operators must execute in sequence.

   Answer: C

   Explanation: OpenGitOps requires "desired state expressed declaratively". A declaration specifies the target infrastructure state; ordered CLI instructions, procedural transition handlers, and manual step sequences instead describe how to perform changes.

   Reference: OpenGitOps Principles — Principle 1, Declarative

8. 8A connected ncclient Manager m controls an NX-OS device advertising writable-running. The variable payload contains a valid NETCONF config element. Which call applies that payload directly to running configuration?

   1. A. m.edit_config(target='running', config=payload)
   2. B. m.get_config(source='running', filter=payload)
   3. C. m.validate(source='running')
   4. D. m.copy_config(source='running', target='startup')

   Answer: A

   Explanation: The documented edit operation accepts "target='candidate', default_operation=None, test_option=None, error_option=None", and its first argument is config. Explicitly setting target to running edits that datastore. Retrieval, validation, and copying running to startup do not apply the supplied edit payload.

   Reference: ncclient Manager — High-level API — Manager > edit_config

9. 9A team wants to model a Nexus switch in CML by uploading the .bin image copied from the physical switch. What limitation applies to that approach?

   1. A. Physical-device images are not built as the VM images required by CML.
   2. B. Renaming the physical .bin file to .qcow2 makes it a usable CML image.
   3. C. Assigning more vCPUs and RAM makes the physical .bin a usable VM image.
   4. D. Matching the physical device's x86_64 CPU architecture makes its image usable.

   Answer: A

   Explanation: Cisco states: "it is not possible to use images taken from a physical device in CML." The FAQ explicitly explains that even x86_64 physical-device images assume hardware and are not VM builds. Renaming the file or allocating more resources does not change that dependency.

   Reference: Cisco Modeling Labs v2.x — FAQ — Reference Platform and Images Questions > 11. Can I use an image taken from a physical device within CML?

10. 10An AI coding assistant keeps proposing a different Python library than the one approved for a network automation script. Which prompt/context change directly addresses that mismatch?

    1. A. Remove the script's existing import statements from the supplied context.
    2. B. Ask for more explanatory comments in the generated Python code.
    3. C. Explicitly name the required library or include its imports.
    4. D. Describe the network device platform and desired JSON output fields.

    Answer: C

    Explanation: GitHub advises: "set the import statements at the top of the file or specify what library you want to use." Naming the implementation library directly addresses the mismatch. Removing that context, requesting comments, or describing platforms and output alone does not identify the approved Python library.

    Reference: Prompt Engineering for GitHub Copilot — Avoid ambiguity, specific-library guidance