SAUTO Network Programmability Foundation Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A security automation engineer needs to programmatically create a new network object on a Cisco Firepower Management Center using the REST API. The engineer wants the request to be idempotent so that re-running the script does not create duplicate objects. Which HTTP method should the script use for the create operation?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

POST. Creating resources in the FMC REST API is done by sending a POST request to the collection URI with a JSON body describing the object. To make the operation idempotent, the script should first perform a GET filtered by the object name or value and only POST when no match is returned. PUT, PATCH, and DELETE all target existing resources and cannot create new ones.

Answer

PUT

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PATCH

Answer

DELETE

Question 2

You are writing a Python script to interact with the Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) API. You need to authenticate to obtain an authentication token. Which HTTP method and endpoint must your script utilize to initiate this process?

Accepted Answer

POST /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken. The FMC API authentication flow requires a POST request to /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken with the username and password (typically Basic auth) to obtain an access token and refresh token. The token is then used in the X-auth-access-token header for subsequent API calls. POST is correct because the operation creates a new session token.

Answer

PUT /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken

Answer

GET /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/generatetoken

Answer

POST /api/fmc_platform/v1/auth/login

Question 3

When working with YANG data models in Cisco security automation, which TWO statements accurately describe the role of the 'leaf' and 'leaf-list' nodes?

Accepted Answer

A 'leaf-list' node allows for multiple instances of a specific value type.. A 'leaf' contains a single value, while a 'leaf-list' contains a sequence of values of a specific type.

Answer

A 'leaf' node can contain child nodes.

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Both 'leaf' and 'leaf-list' support default values.

Answer

A 'leaf-list' node is used for hierarchical grouping.

Question 4

In the context of REST APIs, which status code indicates that a request was successful and a new resource was created on the server?

Accepted Answer

201 Created. HTTP 201 Created is the standard response code for a successful POST request that results in a resource creation.

Answer

200 OK

Answer

202 Accepted

Answer

204 No Content

Question 5

When parsing a JSON response from a Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) REST API call using the Python requests library, you notice the data structure contains a list of objects under the key 'items'. Which Python expression correctly accesses the 'name' field of the first object in that list?

Accepted Answer

response.json()['items'][0]['name']. The correct expression is response.json()['items'][0]['name']. The .json() method deserializes the HTTP response body into Python objects — here a dict containing the key 'items', whose value is a list of dicts. Python lists are zero-indexed, so [0] retrieves the first element, and ['name'] then extracts the 'name' key from that dict. This matches the documented structure of Cisco ASA REST API responses, which wrap collections in an 'items' array.

Answer

response.json()['items'][1]['name']

Answer

response.json().items[0].name

Answer

response.json()['items'].get('name')[0]

Question 6

You are writing a Python script using the Requests library to retrieve information from a Cisco FTD device. Which HTTP method should be used to ensure the operation is idempotent and does not modify the device configuration state?

Accepted Answer

GET. The GET method is correct because it is defined as a safe and idempotent HTTP method, meaning it should only retrieve data and never alter the state of the resource. In the context of a Cisco FTD device, using GET ensures that the script reads configuration or status information without making any changes. This aligns with the requirement to not modify the device configuration state.

Answer

POST

Answer

PUT

Answer

PATCH

Question 7

You are parsing a complex JSON response from a Cisco ISE API. You need to extract the value of the 'macAddress' field nested inside an object named 'endpoint'. Which Python library is best suited for handling this data structure?

Accepted Answer

json. The json library is purpose-built for parsing and manipulating JSON data in Python, making it the correct choice for extracting a nested field like 'macAddress' inside an 'endpoint' object from a Cisco ISE API response. It converts JSON into native Python dictionaries and lists, allowing straightforward key access.

Answer

configparser

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xml.etree.ElementTree

Answer

pickle

Question 8

A network engineer is testing a Cisco ASA REST API call using Postman. The request returns a 401 Unauthorized status code. What is the most likely cause of this error?

Accepted Answer

The authentication token is missing or expired.. A 401 Unauthorized response from the Cisco ASA REST API indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. The ASA REST API requires a valid authentication token, typically obtained by first calling the authentication endpoint with a username and password, and then including that token in the header of subsequent requests. If the token is missing, malformed, or expired, the ASA returns 401.

Answer

The requested resource does not exist on the ASA.

Answer

The JSON payload is malformed.

Answer

The ASA API service is disabled in the configuration.

Question 9

You are designing a YANG model for a custom security policy. Which statement accurately describes the function of a 'leaf' node in YANG?

Accepted Answer

It contains a single value and no child nodes.. In YANG, a leaf node represents a single scalar value such as a string, integer, or boolean, and it cannot have child nodes. It is the basic building block for defining data attributes in a model, analogous to a variable or field.

Answer

It defines a list of instances.

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It acts as a container for other nodes.

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It defines a choice between multiple alternatives.

Question 10

When using NETCONF to manage a Cisco device, which message type is used to establish the initial session and exchange capability information?

Accepted Answer

. NETCONF sessions begin with a message exchanged by both the client and the server. The contains the session ID and a element listing supported YANG modules and protocol features, allowing both sides to negotiate what operations and data models are available before any configuration is attempted.

Answer

<rpc>

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<ok>

Answer

<rpc-reply>

Question 11

In a Cisco REST API implementation using Python, you receive a '429 Too Many Requests' error. What is the appropriate programmatic response?

Accepted Answer

Implement an exponential backoff strategy.. A 429 Too Many Requests status code indicates that the client has exceeded the rate limit imposed by the API server. The correct programmatic response is to implement an exponential backoff strategy, where the client waits progressively longer intervals between retries (e.g., 1s, 2s, 4s, 8s) to reduce the request rate and avoid overwhelming the server. This approach is a standard best practice for handling rate limiting in REST APIs, including Cisco's, and is often recommended in Cisco DevNet and automation certifications.

Answer

Switch the request method from GET to POST.

Answer

Disable SSL verification for subsequent calls.

Answer

Increase the timeout duration of the request.

Question 12

You are writing a Python script to retrieve interface statistics from a Cisco Firepower Management Center (FMC) using the REST API. When making the GET request, which header must be included to ensure the server understands the client prefers JSON format?

Accepted Answer

Accept: application/json. The Accept header is used by the client to specify the media types it is willing to receive in the response. By setting Accept: application/json, the client tells the FMC REST API that it prefers JSON-formatted data. This ensures the server returns JSON rather than XML or another format. The other headers serve different purposes: Content-Type describes the request body, X-Auth-Token is for authentication, and Authorization is for credentials.

Answer

Content-Type: application/json

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X-Auth-Token: JSON

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Authorization: Bearer

Question 13

Which data format is primarily used by REST APIs and is considered the standard for programmatic device interaction in Cisco security environments?

Accepted Answer

JSON. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is the lightweight, human-readable format preferred by modern REST APIs.

Answer

YAML

Answer

XML

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Binary

Question 14

When working with NETCONF, what is the role of the <edit-config> operation?

Accepted Answer

It changes the running configuration of the device.. The NETCONF operation is used to modify the configuration datastore on a device — it can create, merge, replace, or delete configuration nodes within a target datastore such as . It is the standard way to push configuration changes via NETCONF, as defined in RFC 6241.

Answer

It retrieves the entire configuration from the device.

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It deletes the entire configuration.

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It creates a new session on the device.

Question 15

Which HTTP method is most appropriate for retrieving information from a Cisco Security API?

Accepted Answer

GET. The GET method is defined by HTTP as the standard for retrieving resource information without modifying it.

Answer

PUT

Answer

POST

Answer

DELETE