CCNA AI and Network Operations Practice Test 16 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are connected to R1 via the console. R1 is a Cisco ISR 4321 router running IOS-XE. The network manager wants to monitor interface utilization changes. Use RESTCONF to retrieve the operational state of GigabitEthernet0/0/0 on R1. The device has RESTCONF enabled with username 'admin' and password 'cisco'. The management IP is 192.168.1.1.

Accepted Answer

curl -X GET -u admin:cisco https://192.168.1.1/restconf/data/ietf-interfaces:interfaces-state/interface=GigabitEthernet0%2F0%2F0. RESTCONF uses GET to retrieve data. To retrieve operational state (including interface counters), the path must lead to the `interfaces-state` container, not `interfaces`. The correct YANG data model for operational interface state is `ietf-interfaces:interfaces-state`, and the interface name must be URL-encoded to replace slashes with `%2F`. Option C uses POST, which is wrong. Option B lacks URL encoding and uses the config container. Option D uses a Cisco-specific module and unencoded slashes, and is not the standard operational state path.

Answer

curl -X GET -u admin:cisco https://192.168.1.1/restconf/data/ietf-interfaces:interfaces/GigabitEthernet0/0/0

Answer

curl -X POST -u admin:cisco https://192.168.1.1/restconf/data/ietf-interfaces:interfaces/interface=GigabitEthernet0%2F0%2F0

Answer

curl -X GET -u admin:cisco https://192.168.1.1/restconf/data/Cisco-IOS-XE-interfaces-oper:interfaces/GigabitEthernet0/0/0

Question 2

You are connected to SW1, a Cisco switch that is experiencing intermittent connectivity issues. The network administrator suspects a duplex mismatch between SW1 and the connected router R1. Use CDP to verify the status and check interface statistics.

Accepted Answer

The switch port is set to half duplex, and the router is set to full duplex, causing CRC errors and late collisions.. The switch port is manually set to half duplex while the router likely negotiates to full duplex, causing a mismatch. CDP output from the switch will show the router's duplex as full. Interface statistics will show increasing CRC errors and late collisions. The solution is to set the switch port to auto-negotiation or match the duplex setting with the router.

Answer

The switch port is set to full duplex, and the router is set to half duplex, causing runts and FCS errors.

Answer

The switch port and router are both set to half duplex, but the cable is faulty, causing CRC errors.

Answer

The switch port is set to auto-negotiation, and the router is set to half duplex, causing late collisions.

Question 3

You are connected to R1, a Cisco IOS-XE router that provides connectivity for the 192.168.10.0/24 network. The network operations team uses a Python script with netmiko to push configuration changes. However, the script fails to connect to R1. You need to verify the SSH configuration on R1.

Accepted Answer

The VTY lines are configured for telnet only; SSH requires 'transport input ssh'.. The VTY lines are configured for telnet only. SSH requires 'transport input ssh' (or 'transport input all'). Additionally, the SSH server may not be enabled if the crypto key is missing or the ip ssh command is not present. The commands show that transport input is telnet, so the script cannot connect via SSH. Changing to 'transport input ssh' resolves the issue.

Answer

The SSH server is not enabled because the crypto key is missing or 'ip ssh' is not configured.

Answer

The SSH version is set to version 1, which is not supported by the Python script.

Answer

The domain name is not configured, which is required for SSH key generation.

Question 4

You are connected to the console of R1, a Cisco router that is part of a larger network. The network operations team uses Ansible to manage configurations. You need to write an Ansible playbook that configures an interface description on R1. The playbook should use the ios_config module.

Accepted Answer

---
- name: Configure interface description
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Add description to Gi0/0
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - description Link to Core
        parents: interface GigabitEthernet0/0. The playbook uses the ios_config module to add the description line under the interface configuration. The 'parents' parameter sets the context to 'interface GigabitEthernet0/0'. The playbook must be saved as a .yml file and run with ansible-playbook.

Answer

---
- name: Configure interface description
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Add description to Gi0/0
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - interface GigabitEthernet0/0
          - description Link to Core

Answer

---
- name: Configure interface description
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Add description to Gi0/0
      ios_command:
        commands:
          - configure terminal
          - interface GigabitEthernet0/0
          - description Link to Core

Answer

---
- name: Configure interface description
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  tasks:
    - name: Add description to Gi0/0
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - description Link to Core
        parents: GigabitEthernet0/0

Question 5

You are connected to R1 via the console. R1 is a Cisco ISR 4321 router running IOS-XE. The network team has recently changed the routing protocol from EIGRP to OSPF, but some routes are missing from the routing table. You need to analyze the OSPF neighbor states and LSDB to identify the issue.

Accepted Answer

Use 'show ip ospf neighbor' to check neighbor state; if not FULL, examine 'show ip ospf interface' for mismatched hello/dead intervals or network type.. OSPF requires consistent hello/dead intervals and network types to form adjacency. If the neighbor is not in FULL state, routes will not be exchanged. Checking 'show ip ospf neighbor' reveals the state; mismatched parameters can be corrected by adjusting interface configuration.

Answer

Use 'show ip route ospf' to verify OSPF routes; if missing, re-enter the OSPF process and redistribute connected routes.

Answer

Use 'debug ip ospf events' to monitor OSPF packets; if no packets are seen, reconfigure OSPF router ID and clear the OSPF process.

Answer

Use 'show ip protocols' to verify OSPF process configuration; if incorrect, delete and recreate the OSPF process with the correct network statements.

Question 6

You are connected to the console of R1, a Cisco IOS-XE router. The network operations team needs to automate the backup of the running configuration to a TFTP server using a Python netmiko script. However, the script is failing. Your task is to write the correct netmiko commands to connect to R1 and save the configuration to the TFTP server at 192.168.1.100.

Accepted Answer

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

connection = ConnectHandler(device_type='cisco_ios', ip='192.168.1.1', username='admin', password='cisco')
connection.send_command('copy running-config tftp://192.168.1.100/r1-config', expect_string=r'$$confirm$$')
connection.send_command('\n')
connection.disconnect(). The 'copy running-config tftp://...' command in Cisco IOS prompts with '[confirm]'. To handle this interactively in netmiko, the expect_string must use a regular expression that matches the literal characters '[' and ']', which requires escaping them as '$$' and '$$'. The corrected script uses r'$$confirm$$' and then sends a newline to confirm, ensuring the backup completes. Options B and D fail to expect the prompt, and C uses an incorrect prompt match (expect_string=r'#' would only wait for the privileged EXEC prompt, missing the confirmation).

Answer

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

connection = ConnectHandler(device_type='cisco_ios', ip='192.168.1.1', username='admin', password='cisco')
connection.send_command('copy running-config tftp://192.168.1.100/r1-config')
connection.disconnect()

Answer

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

connection = ConnectHandler(device_type='cisco_ios', ip='192.168.1.1', username='admin', password='cisco')
connection.send_command('copy running-config tftp://192.168.1.100/r1-config', expect_string=r'#')

Answer

from netmiko import ConnectHandler

connection = ConnectHandler(device_type='cisco_ios', ip='192.168.1.1', username='admin', password='cisco')
connection.send_command('copy running-config tftp://192.168.1.100/r1-config
')
connection.disconnect()

Question 7

You are connected to R1 via the console. R1 is a Cisco IOS-XE router. The network manager wants to use an Ansible playbook to configure a loopback interface with IP address 10.0.0.1/24 on R1. You need to write the Ansible YAML playbook that connects to R1 and configures this interface. The playbook must not use the 'parents' argument in the ios_config module.

Accepted Answer

- name: Configure Loopback
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  connection: network_cli
  tasks:
    - name: Configure interface
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - interface Loopback0
          - ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
          - no shutdown. Option A is correct because it uses the network_cli connection type, applies the correct subnet mask (255.255.255.0), includes 'no shutdown' to enable the interface, and does not use the 'parents' argument, meeting the requirement. Option B is wrong because it uses an 'ssh' connection (not network_cli) and writes the IP address in CIDR notation (/24) instead of the required dotted-decimal mask. Option C is wrong because it uses 'shutdown' instead of 'no shutdown', which disables the interface. Option D is wrong because it uses the 'parents' argument, which the stem explicitly forbids, even though the configuration would otherwise be valid.

Answer

- name: Configure Loopback
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  connection: ssh
  tasks:
    - name: Configure interface
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - interface Loopback0
          - ip address 10.0.0.1/24
          - no shutdown

Answer

- name: Configure Loopback
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  connection: network_cli
  tasks:
    - name: Configure interface
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - interface Loopback0
          - ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
          - shutdown

Answer

- name: Configure Loopback
  hosts: R1
  gather_facts: no
  connection: network_cli
  tasks:
    - name: Configure interface
      ios_config:
        lines:
          - interface Loopback0
          - ip address 10.0.0.1 255.255.255.0
          - no shutdown
        parents: interface Loopback0

Question 8

You are connected to R1 via the console. R1 is a Cisco ISR 4321 router running IOS-XE 17.3. The network team has reported intermittent connectivity issues between VLAN 10 hosts and the server at 10.0.0.100. You suspect a routing problem and need to analyze the IP routing table, ARP cache, and interface status to identify the cause. Use the provided outputs to diagnose the issue.

Accepted Answer

The routing table shows a default route via 192.168.1.1, but the ARP cache has an incomplete entry for that next-hop IP, indicating a Layer 2 connectivity issue.. The issue is likely a missing or incorrect route, an incomplete ARP entry, or an interface problem. By checking the routing table, you can confirm if a route to 10.0.0.100 exists. The ARP cache shows whether the next-hop MAC is learned. Interface status indicates if the link is operational. The solution commands reveal these details, allowing you to pinpoint the cause (e.g., default route missing, ARP timeout, or interface down).

Answer

The routing table has a static route to 10.0.0.0/24 via 192.168.1.2, but the interface GigabitEthernet0/0/0 is administratively down.

Answer

The routing table shows a route to 10.0.0.0/16 via 192.168.1.1, but the ARP cache has a complete entry for 192.168.1.1, indicating the issue is at Layer 3.

Answer

The routing table has no route to 10.0.0.100, and the ARP cache is empty for all entries, indicating a complete routing failure.

Question 9

Which three of the following are key applications of AI in network operations? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Anomaly detection and proactive threat identification. AI in network operations enhances efficiency by automating complex analytical tasks. Anomaly detection uses machine learning models to identify deviations from baseline traffic patterns, enabling proactive threat identification before they cause outages. Automated root cause analysis correlates events across the network to pinpoint the origin of a fault, reducing mean time to repair (MTTR). Predictive maintenance leverages telemetry data (e.g., from SNMP, NetFlow, or gRPC) to forecast hardware failures, allowing preemptive replacement and minimizing downtime.

Answer

Replacing all manual CLI configuration with AI-generated scripts

Answer

Eliminating the need for network monitoring tools entirely

Answer

Automating the physical installation of network cables

Question 10

Which three options best describe how machine learning models are trained for network anomaly detection? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Using historical baseline traffic data to learn normal behavior patterns. Machine learning models for network anomaly detection are effectively trained using historical baseline traffic data to learn normal behavior patterns, which allows the model to identify deviations that may indicate anomalies. Labeled datasets with known attack signatures enable supervised learning, where the model learns to classify traffic as normal or malicious based on examples. Unsupervised clustering techniques, such as k-means or DBSCAN, can identify deviations without predefined labels by grouping similar data points and flagging outliers as potential anomalies. The three incorrect options—manual threshold configuration, training exclusively on synthetic data, and reliance on SNMP polling—are not characteristic of ML training methods. Manual threshold configuration is a rule‑based approach that does not involve learning from data. Training exclusively on synthetic data is not representative of real‑world traffic patterns and would not generalize well. Relying solely on SNMP polling intervals is a traditional monitoring method, not a machine learning technique.

Answer

Requiring manual threshold configuration for every monitored metric

Answer

Training exclusively on synthetic data generated by simulation tools

Answer

Relying solely on SNMP polling intervals to detect anomalies

Question 11

Which three of the following are benefits of integrating AI into network operations? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Automated enforcement of security policies based on real-time risk analysis. AI reduces mean time to repair (MTTR) by rapidly diagnosing incidents through automated correlation of telemetry and logs. It improves capacity planning by analyzing traffic patterns and predicting future demands, enabling proactive scaling. Automated security policy enforcement uses real-time risk analysis to adjust rules dynamically. The three distractors are wrong because AI cannot guarantee complete elimination of network downtime (unexpected hardware failures still occur), zero configuration for new devices (initial setup and integration still require human input), or total removal of human engineers (AI augments but does not replace strategic oversight and complex problem-solving).

Answer

Complete elimination of network downtime

Answer

Zero configuration required for new network devices

Answer

Total removal of human network engineers from operations

Question 12

Which three statements accurately describe the role of Cisco's AI-powered security features (such as Cisco AI Network Analytics, Stealthwatch, or DNA Center's AI-Enhanced Analytics) in network security operations? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

AI models can detect zero-day exploits by analyzing behavioral anomalies. Cisco's AI-powered security features detect zero-day exploits by analyzing behavioral anomalies and deviations from learned baselines, without relying on signatures. These systems correlate logs from multiple Cisco products (e.g., firewalls, endpoints, cloud) to uncover multi-step attack chains. AI can also automate responses such as blocking malicious IPs via Cisco security controls, reducing mean time to respond (MTTR). However, AI complements but does not replace traditional security tools like firewall rules or ACLs, and it requires ongoing human oversight for validation and tuning.

Answer

AI is only effective against known, signature-based threats

Answer

AI security models require no human oversight once deployed

Answer

AI eliminates the need for firewall rules and access control lists

Question 13

Which three of the following are common challenges when deploying AI in network operations? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Ensuring high-quality, clean training data for machine learning models. Ensuring high-quality, clean training data is a fundamental challenge because AI/ML models depend on accurate, labeled data to learn patterns; poor data leads to unreliable predictions. Integrating AI tools with legacy systems is difficult due to proprietary APIs and outdated protocols, often requiring custom middleware. Avoiding false positives is critical because excessive alarms desensitize operators and waste resources. The three incorrect options are not real deployment challenges: 'AI models always requiring cloud connectivity' is false because on-premise and edge AI can function offline; 'AI completely replacing network engineers' is a misconception—AI augments, not replaces, engineers; and 'AI automatically resolving all congestion without human input' is an unrealistic expectation, not a common challenge in practice.

Answer

AI models always requiring cloud connectivity to function

Answer

AI completely replacing the need for network engineers

Answer

AI automatically resolving all network congestion issues without human input

Question 14

Which three options describe how AI contributes to network automation and orchestration? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

AI can optimize routing paths dynamically based on real-time traffic analysis. AI contributes to network automation and orchestration by enabling dynamic optimization of routing paths based on real-time traffic analysis, automatically adjusting QoS policies to prioritize critical application traffic, and predicting link failures to trigger preemptive rerouting. These capabilities leverage machine learning models to analyze network telemetry data, such as NetFlow or SNMP, and make automated decisions that improve performance, reliability, and efficiency without manual intervention.

Answer

AI eliminates the need for any intent-based networking (IBN) frameworks

Answer

AI can replace all configuration templates with entirely self-generated configs

Answer

AI ensures that every network change is 100% error-free without testing

Question 15

Which four of the following are common use cases or features of AI and Machine Learning in network operations? (Choose all that apply.)

Accepted Answer

Anomaly detection for security threats. Anomaly detection for security threats uses ML to identify deviations from normal traffic patterns, enabling proactive threat identification. Automated root cause analysis leverages AI to correlate events and faults across the network to quickly pinpoint the source of issues. Predictive maintenance applies ML models to historical hardware data (e.g., error logs, temperature) to forecast failures before they occur. Dynamic traffic routing uses reinforcement learning or other AI techniques to adapt routing decisions in real time based on changing network conditions. The two incorrect options are not AI/ML use cases: manual VLAN configuration is a static, rule-based task that does not involve learning or adaptation, and replacing all network engineers with fully autonomous AI is an unrealistic, futuristic concept not representative of current AI/ML applications in network operations.

Answer

Manual configuration of static VLANs on access switches

Answer

Replacing all network engineers with fully autonomous AI