200-901 Understanding and Using APIs — Timed 15 Questions

Question 1

A network engineer is using the Cisco Meraki API to retrieve a list of SSIDs for a specific network. The API returns an HTTP 200 status but an empty array for the SSIDs. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The network exists but has no SSIDs configured.. An HTTP 200 status indicates the request was successfully processed by the Meraki API, meaning the API key, network ID, and request format were all valid. An empty array for SSIDs specifically means the network exists and the API queried it correctly, but no SSIDs have been configured on that network. This is the expected behavior when a network has no wireless profiles defined.

Answer

The network ID is incorrect.

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The API key is invalid.

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The request body is malformed.

Question 2

When designing a REST API client for a Cisco DNA Center deployment, which authentication method should be used to obtain a token for subsequent API calls?

Accepted Answer

HTTP Basic authentication to obtain a token.. Cisco DNA Center uses HTTP Basic authentication to obtain a token. The client sends a POST request to the /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token endpoint with a Base64-encoded string of the username and password in the Authorization header. The server returns a token that must be included in subsequent API calls via the X-Auth-Token header.

Answer

OAuth 2.0 client credentials grant.

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API key in the request header.

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Client certificate in the request.

Question 3

A Python script uses the Cisco Meraki API to create a new network and then immediately attempts to configure an SSID on that network. The SSID creation fails with a 400 error indicating 'network is not ready'. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The network is not fully provisioned yet; a delay is needed.. The Meraki API returns a 400 error with 'network is not ready' because creating a network is an asynchronous operation. The network's underlying infrastructure (e.g., virtual LANs, DHCP scopes, firewall rules) must be fully provisioned before it can accept SSID configurations. Attempting to configure an SSID immediately after creation fails because the network is still in a 'pending' or 'provisioning' state, requiring a polling delay or retry logic.

Answer

The API rate limit has been exceeded.

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The API key does not have write access to networks.

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The SSID name contains invalid characters.

Question 4

Which TWO of the following are best practices when using REST APIs in Cisco networking environments?

Accepted Answer

Always handle HTTP error codes like 4xx and 5xx.. Option C is correct because handling HTTP error codes like 4xx (client errors) and 5xx (server errors) is essential for robust REST API integration. In Cisco environments, APIs such as those for DNA Center or Meraki return these codes to indicate issues like authentication failure (401), rate limiting (429), or server overload (503). Proper error handling allows the application to retry, log, or alert appropriately, preventing silent failures and ensuring reliable network automation.

Answer

Send credentials as plain text in every request.

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Poll the API every second to get real-time updates.

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Embed API keys directly in the URL query parameters.

Question 5

Refer to the exhibit. A network engineer runs a script that queries the Cisco DNA Center site health API. The response shows Branch1 with a healthScore of 10. What is the most likely action to improve Branch1's health?

Accepted Answer

Investigate the network devices and connectivity at Branch1.. A healthScore of 10 on a scale of 0–100 indicates severe degradation, typically caused by network device failures, link flaps, or connectivity loss. Investigating the network devices and connectivity at Branch1 is the correct first step to identify and resolve the root cause, such as a down switch or a routing issue.

Answer

Increase the number of clients at Branch1.

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Check the API authentication token.

Answer

Use a different API version.

Question 6

A DevOps team manages a multi-site Cisco Meraki network with 50 MX appliances and 200 MR access points. They use a Python script that calls the Meraki API to collect device utilization data every hour and stores it in a CSV file. Recently, the script started failing intermittently with HTTP 429 status codes. The team suspects rate limiting but notices that the failures occur even when only one script instance runs. The script uses a single API key and makes requests to the /devices/{serial}/uplink endpoint for each MX and the /devices/{serial}/wireless/status endpoint for each MR. The script is scheduled via cron and runs sequentially. The team wants to resolve the rate limiting while minimizing changes to the script. Which course of action should the team take?

Accepted Answer

Introduce a delay between API calls to stay within the rate limit.. The intermittent HTTP 429 errors indicate the script is exceeding the Meraki API rate limit, which applies per API key. Since the script runs sequentially with a single key, introducing a delay between API calls (e.g., using time.sleep()) is the simplest fix that stays within the rate limit without requiring architectural changes. This directly addresses the root cause while minimizing modifications to the existing script.

Answer

Distribute the API requests across multiple API keys.

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Switch to a webhook-based approach to receive data instead of polling.

Answer

Use the bulk API request feature to collect data in fewer calls.

Question 7

Drag and drop the steps to troubleshoot a network connectivity issue using the OSI model from bottom to top.

Question 8

Drag and drop the steps to set up a Python virtual environment for a DevNet project into the correct order.

Question 9

Match each HTTP method to its typical use case in REST APIs.

Question 10

Match each YAML structure to its description.

Question 11

A DevOps engineer is using the Cisco Meraki API to retrieve a list of networks. Which HTTP method should be used?

Accepted Answer

GET. The GET method is the correct HTTP verb for retrieving a list of networks from the Cisco Meraki API because it is a read-only operation that fetches existing resources without modifying server state. The Meraki API follows RESTful conventions where GET requests are used to query collections or individual resources, and the endpoint for listing networks is typically a GET to /organizations/{organizationId}/networks.

Answer

PUT

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POST

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DELETE

Question 12

An automation script needs to update the hostname of a Cisco IOS-XE device via RESTCONF. Which HTTP method is appropriate?

Accepted Answer

PUT. To update the hostname of a Cisco IOS-XE device via RESTCONF, the PUT HTTP method is appropriate because it performs a full replacement of the target resource. RESTCONF uses the YANG data model, and the hostname is a leaf node under the Cisco-IOS-XE-native YANG module. A PUT request with the complete updated hostname data replaces the existing configuration, aligning with RESTCONF's semantics for resource replacement.

Answer

PATCH

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GET

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POST

Question 13

A network engineer is writing a Python script to interact with Cisco DNA Center. After successfully authenticating and receiving a token, what header must be included in subsequent API requests?

Accepted Answer

In the Authorization header as Bearer. Option D is correct because Cisco DNA Center uses token-based authentication following the OAuth 2.0 framework. After obtaining a token via the /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token endpoint, the token must be included in the Authorization header using the Bearer scheme (e.g., 'Authorization: Bearer <token>') for all subsequent API requests to prove the client's identity and authorization.

Answer

In a custom header

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In the URL query string

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In the request body

Question 14

A developer is using the Cisco Webex Teams API to create a room and add members. The API returns a 400 error. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Missing required fields. A 400 Bad Request error from the Cisco Webex Teams API indicates that the server cannot process the request due to a client-side error, most commonly missing required fields in the request body. When creating a room, the API requires a 'title' field; omitting it or sending an empty value triggers a 400 response. This is distinct from authentication or network issues, which produce different HTTP status codes.

Answer

Invalid access token

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Network connectivity issue

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Room name already exists

Question 15

An automation tool uses RESTCONF to configure a Cisco device. The device returns a 404 error for a PUT request. What does this indicate?

Accepted Answer

The resource does not exist. A 404 (Not Found) response to a RESTCONF PUT request indicates that the target resource (e.g., a specific YANG data node or URI) does not exist on the device. RESTCONF uses HTTP methods to manipulate resources identified by URIs; a PUT request is intended to create or replace a resource at that URI, but if the resource path is invalid or the data model node is not present, the server returns 404. This is consistent with RFC 8040, which defines the RESTCONF protocol.

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The server is overloaded

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The request body is malformed

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Authentication failed