These questions present the output of IOS show commands — show ip route, show interfaces, show ip ospf neighbor, show vlan brief — and ask you to interpret what they reveal about the network state. Reading IOS output accurately is one of the highest-value skills on the CCNA.
Start Scenario PracticeA network engineer runs the following command on Switch SW1: SW1# show interfaces trunk Port Mode Encapsulation Status Native vlan Gi0/1 on 802.1q trunking 1 Gi0/2 on 802.1q trunking 1 Port Vlans allowed on trunk Gi0/1 1-1005 Gi0/2 1-1005 Port Vlans allowed and active in management domain Gi0/1 1,10,20 Gi0/2 1,10,20 Port Vlans in spanning tree forwarding state and not pruned Gi0/1 1,10,20 Gi0/2 1,10,20 Based on this output, what can be concluded?
Explanation: The output shows that VLANs 1-1005 are allowed on the trunk, but only VLANs 1, 10, and 20 are listed as active in the management domain. This means VLANs 2-9 are configured on the trunk but are not active (i.e., not created or not present on the switch), so they do not forward traffic. Option A correctly identifies this condition.
A network administrator is troubleshooting a BGP routing issue where routes from an eBGP neighbor are not being installed in the routing table. The 'show ip bgp' output shows the routes are received but not valid. What is the most likely cause?
Explanation: For a BGP route to be considered valid and installed in the routing table, the next-hop IP address must be reachable via an IGP or a static route. If the next hop is not reachable, the route will appear in the 'show ip bgp' output but will be marked as not valid (often with a 'r' for received but not valid). This is the most common cause when routes are received from an eBGP neighbor but not installed.
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1: R1# show ip access-lists Extended IP access list 150 10 permit tcp 10.0.0.0 0.255.255.255 any eq 23 (2 matches) 20 deny tcp any any eq 23 (8 matches) 30 permit tcp 172.16.0.0 0.0.255.255 any eq 22 (4 matches) 40 deny tcp any any eq 22 (1 match) 50 permit ip any any (15 matches) Based on this output, what can be concluded?
Explanation: The ACL 150 processes entries sequentially. Telnet (TCP port 23) from 192.168.1.0/24 is not explicitly permitted by the first permit statement (which only allows source 10.0.0.0/8) and is denied by the subsequent deny statement (line 20). SSH (TCP port 22) from 10.0.0.0/8 is permitted by line 10 only for Telnet, not SSH; line 30 permits SSH only from 172.16.0.0/16, so SSH from 10.0.0.0/8 hits line 40 (deny) and is denied. The implicit deny at the end would also block unmatched traffic, but here explicit denies apply.
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R7: R7# show ip nat translations verbose Pro Inside global Inside local Outside local Outside global --- 192.0.2.10 10.0.0.10 --- --- create: 03/01/2025 09:00:00, use: 03/01/2025 09:05:00 timeout: never, flags: static --- 192.0.2.11 10.0.0.11 --- --- create: 03/01/2025 09:00:00, use: 03/01/2025 09:06:00 timeout: never, flags: static Based on this output, what can be concluded?
Explanation: The output shows two NAT entries with the flag 'static' and a timeout of 'never'. Static NAT translations are manually configured and persist indefinitely in the translation table until explicitly removed by an administrator. This is why option D is correct.
A network engineer issues the following command on Router R4: R4# show ip ospf database OSPF Router with ID (4.4.4.4) (Process ID 1) Router Link States (Area 0) Link ID ADV Router Age Seq# Checksum Link count 1.1.1.1 1.1.1.1 123 0x80000002 0x00A1B2 2 2.2.2.2 2.2.2.2 456 0x80000003 0x00B2C3 3 4.4.4.4 4.4.4.4 789 0x80000001 0x00C3D4 1 Net Link States (Area 0) Link ID ADV Router Age Seq# Checksum 192.168.1.2 2.2.2.2 234 0x80000001 0x00D4E5 Based on this output, what can be concluded?
Explanation: The Net Link States entry shows the link ID 192.168.1.2 (the DR's interface IP) and ADV Router 2.2.2.2, which indicates that router 2.2.2.2 is the Designated Router (DR) on the 192.168.1.0/24 segment. In OSPF, only the DR originates the Type 2 (Network LSA) for a broadcast segment, so the advertising router in the Net Link States is always the DR.
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Practice all Show Command Output QuestionsThese questions present the output of IOS show commands — show ip route, show interfaces, show ip ospf neighbor, show vlan brief — and ask you to interpret what they reveal about the network state. Reading IOS output accurately is one of the highest-value skills on the CCNA. These appear throughout the 350-401 and require you to apply your knowledge, not just recall facts.
Cisco doesn't publish an exact breakdown, but scenario-based questions (especially exhibit and command-output formats) make up a significant portion of the 350-401. Practicing each scenario type ensures you're ready for any format.
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