Be able to configure and troubleshoot TACACS+ device administration in ISE: authentication, authorization policy sets, shell profiles, and command sets. Get the authorization flow right, including what happens when no policy matches, and know how to confirm requests reach the PSN.
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Domain overview
This domain covers Cisco ISE's device administration role: TACACS+ authentication, authorization, and accounting for network devices, plus command authorization and device administration policy sets. Questions test how ISE processes TACACS+ requests, how shell profiles and command sets control CLI access, and how to verify that device requests reach the ISE PSN.
Exam objectives
TACACS+ authentication, authorization, and accounting functions between network devices and Cisco ISE
Shell profiles and command sets controlling per-user CLI privilege and permitted commands
TACACS+ authorization policy set processing and default handling for unmatched requests
Verification that TACACS+ requests reach the ISE PSN using logs and diagnostics
Confusing TACACS+ accounting (records commands/events) with authorization (decides what a user may do).
Assuming unmatched TACACS+ authorization requests are always denied; the default result depends on policy configuration.
Overlooking that shell profiles set privilege levels and attributes, while command sets restrict specific commands.
Click any question to see the full explanation and answer options, or start a focused practice session above.
Which menu path in Cisco ISE is used to define a new Network Device Group?
2When defining a Shell Profile for a TACACS+ administrator, which setting ensures the user is placed into privilege level 15 immediately upon login?
3When troubleshooting TACACS+ authentication issues in Cisco ISE, which log file should you monitor to see the specific request details and the policy match result?
4You are configuring a TACACS+ command set to restrict an administrator from running 'show running-config' on Cisco switches. Which match condition ensures that this specific command is blocked while allowing other 'show' commands?
5Which port does Cisco ISE use by default for TACACS+ communication with network devices?
6If a user is assigned a Shell Profile with a specific 'Auto-Command' configured, what happens when they log into the network device?
7When adding a network device to ISE, you select the 'TACACS+ Authentication Settings' checkbox. What is the impact of this action?
8You are troubleshooting a scenario where an admin cannot execute a specific command despite the Command Set having 'Permit' for that command. What is a common reason?
9How does Cisco ISE handle requests that do not match any configured TACACS+ Authorization Policy?
10Which attribute in a Shell Profile is used to control whether a user can perform 'enable' commands?
11In the context of TACACS+, what is the purpose of the 'Network Device Group'?
12Where are the TACACS+ accounting logs stored and viewed in the ISE management console?
13How can you verify that ISE is receiving TACACS+ requests from a specific switch?
14What is the benefit of using multiple TACACS+ Policy Sets?
15A user is assigned a Command Set that permits all commands, but they are still receiving 'Access Denied' when running 'reload'. What is the most likely reason?
16If a user is authenticated via TACACS+ but no authorization policy matches, what is the default behavior?
17Which component in Cisco ISE defines the TACACS+ privilege levels and attributes sent to the network device?
18Which of the following is a best practice when configuring TACACS+ for network administration?
19Which TWO of the following are true regarding TACACS+ command sets? (Choose two)
20Which THREE of the following are characteristics of the TACACS+ protocol? (Choose three)
21Which statement best describes the role of the TACACS+ 'Accounting' feature?
22When configuring a Shell Profile, what is the purpose of the 'Common Tasks' section?
23Which TWO of the following are valid components of a TACACS+ Authorization Policy in Cisco ISE? (Choose two)
24When setting up TACACS+ for network administration, which THREE configurations must be present on the Cisco network device? (Choose three)
25Which TWO of the following are true about Shell Profiles? (Choose two)
26Which TWO of the following are benefits of using Network Device Groups (NDG)? (Choose two)
27Which THREE of the following items are considered 'results' in an ISE authorization policy? (Choose three)
28You are configuring a Network Device Group in Cisco ISE to organize devices by geographical location. Which menu path should you navigate to in order to create a new Network Device Group?
29You are implementing TACACS+ device administration for a group of routers. You need to assign specific privilege levels to different users. Where in the ISE policy set is this privilege assignment configured?
30An administrator notices that TACACS+ authentication is failing for devices. The logs show 'RADIUS request received'. What is the most likely cause?
31Which component in ISE is responsible for mapping an authenticated user to a specific set of permissions and command restrictions in a TACACS+ environment?
32Which THREE items are configurable within a TACACS+ Shell Profile in Cisco ISE?
33Which TWO methods can be used to verify that a TACACS+ request from a network device is reaching the Cisco ISE PSN?
34A network engineer is adding a Cisco Catalyst 9300 switch to Cisco ISE for TACACS+ device administration. The switch will use a shared secret of 'C1sco123'. The engineer wants to ensure that ISE can authenticate and authorize administrative sessions from this device. Where should the shared secret be configured in ISE?
35A network engineer is configuring a Cisco router to use TACACS+ for device administration with Cisco ISE. The engineer wants to ensure that if the TACACS+ server is unreachable, the router falls back to local authentication. Which command should be configured on the router?
36A network engineer is deploying TACACS+ device administration with Cisco ISE for a large number of Cisco IOS routers. The engineer wants to centralize the authorization of commands so that users in different groups have different command privileges. The engineer has already configured authentication and authorization policy sets in ISE. Which additional configuration is required on the Cisco IOS routers to ensure that command authorization is enforced by ISE?
37A network administrator is adding a new Cisco IOS router to Cisco ISE for TACACS+ device administration. The administrator needs to ensure that ISE recognizes the router and accepts its TACACS+ requests. What must be configured in ISE for the router?
38A network engineer is troubleshooting a TACACS+ authentication failure on a Cisco switch. The switch is configured to use Cisco ISE as its TACACS+ server. The engineer runs 'debug tacacs' on the switch and sees that the request is sent but no response is received. Which action should the engineer take first to resolve the issue?
39A network administrator is configuring a Cisco ISE TACACS+ Command Set to allow users to execute 'show running-config' but deny all other 'show' commands. Which command set configuration in ISE achieves this?
Be able to configure and troubleshoot TACACS+ device administration in ISE: authentication, authorization policy sets, shell profiles, and command sets. Get the authorization flow right, including what happens when no policy matches, and know how to confirm requests reach the PSN.
The Courseiva SISE question bank contains 39 questions in the Network Access Device Administration domain. Click any question to see the full explanation and answer breakdown.
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