350-401 Automation Practice Test 10 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A network engineer is using the YANG Suite tool to explore YANG models supported by a Cisco IOS XE device. The engineer wants to retrieve the list of available YANG modules from the device using NETCONF. Which NETCONF operation should be used to obtain this information?

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

Accepted Answer

with a filter for ietf-yang-library:modules-state. To retrieve the list of YANG modules supported by a Cisco IOS XE device, the engineer should use the operation with a filter for 'ietf-yang-library:modules-state'. This data is operational and provided by the ietf-yang-library module. The operation retrieves a specific schema, while and are for configuration data. Thus, the correct operation is with the appropriate filter.

Answer

<get-schema>

Answer

<get-config> with a filter for ietf-netconf-monitoring:netconf-state

Answer

<edit-config> to add a new module

Question 2

A network engineer is designing an automation solution that uses Python with the ncclient library to manage Cisco IOS XE devices via NETCONF. The engineer needs to ensure that the solution can retrieve interface configurations, modify them, and verify the changes. Which two NETCONF operations should the engineer use to accomplish these tasks? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

. To retrieve interface configurations, the engineer should use , which fetches configuration data from a datastore. To modify those configurations, is the correct operation, allowing targeted changes. Together, these operations enable reading the current state, applying changes, and then verifying by re-reading the configuration.

Answer

<delete-config>

Answer

<get>

Answer

<copy-config>

Question 3

A network engineer is developing a Python script to retrieve interface statistics from a Cisco IOS XE device using RESTCONF. The script sends a GET request to the URI https://10.1.1.1/restconf/data/ietf-interfaces:interfaces. The device returns a 401 Unauthorized error. The engineer verifies that the RESTCONF API is enabled and the URI is correct. Which action should the engineer take to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Configure the HTTP client to use Basic authentication with valid user credentials.. A 401 Unauthorized response from a RESTCONF API indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. Cisco IOS XE RESTCONF uses HTTP Basic authentication, so the client must include an Authorization header with a base64-encoded username and password. Without this, the device rejects the request regardless of the URI or method. Therefore, configuring Basic authentication is the correct solution.

Answer

Enable the NETCONF protocol on the device using the netconf-yang command.

Answer

Change the request method from GET to POST to retrieve interface statistics.

Answer

Add the header 'Content-Type: application/yang-data+json' to the request.

Question 4

A network engineer is designing a Python script that uses the YANG models supported by a Cisco IOS XE device to configure interface descriptions via RESTCONF. The engineer wants to ensure the script uses the correct data model and avoids errors. Which TWO actions should the engineer take? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Verify the YANG module revision date to ensure compatibility with the IOS XE version running on the device.. To configure interfaces via RESTCONF using YANG models, the engineer must first discover which YANG modules are supported by the device. The ietf-yang-library provides this information, including module names, revisions, and features. Checking the revision date ensures the script uses the correct version for the device's software. These two actions prevent schema errors and ensure successful configuration.

Answer

Use the 'Content-Type: application/yang-data+xml' header for all RESTCONF requests to ensure compatibility with YANG models.

Answer

Use the Cisco IOS XE native YANG model 'Cisco-IOS-XE-native' for interface configuration, as it is always available and supports all features.

Answer

Assume that all YANG modules are available on all IOS XE devices, so no verification is needed.

Question 5

A network engineer is writing a Python script using the ncclient library to retrieve the running configuration from a Cisco IOS XE device. The script connects using NETCONF over SSH on port 830. The engineer wants to filter the response to only include interface configuration data. Which NETCONF operation should be used to retrieve the configuration with a filter?

Accepted Answer

with a of and a element.. The operation is specifically designed to retrieve configuration data from a datastore. It supports a element to select specific portions of the configuration, such as interfaces. This allows the engineer to retrieve only the desired data, reducing payload size and processing time.

Answer

with a element.

Answer

with a of .

Answer

with a of .

Question 6

A network engineer is developing a Python script to configure OSPF on a Cisco IOS XE device using the NETCONF protocol. The script establishes an SSH session and sends a RPC with the target datastore set to 'running'. The configuration is applied successfully, but after a device reload, the OSPF configuration is missing. The engineer verifies that the operation included the 'default-operation' parameter set to 'merge'. What is the most likely reason for the configuration loss?

Accepted Answer

The NETCONF operation modifies the running configuration but does not automatically save it to the startup configuration; a separate or to startup is required.. NETCONF operations on Cisco IOS XE modify the running configuration. To persist changes across a reload, the running configuration must be explicitly saved to the startup configuration using a RPC or equivalent. The scenario describes a classic case where the configuration is applied but not saved, leading to loss after reload. The other options incorrectly attribute the loss to datastore targeting, merge behavior, or session handling.

Answer

The <edit-config> operation was applied to the 'candidate' datastore instead of the 'running' datastore, and the candidate was not committed.

Answer

The 'default-operation' parameter should have been set to 'replace' instead of 'merge' to ensure the configuration is saved to NVRAM.

Answer

The NETCONF session was not closed properly, causing the device to roll back the configuration upon session termination.

Question 7

A network engineer is using Python with the ncclient library to configure a Cisco IOS XE device via NETCONF. The script connects successfully but receives an RPC error when trying to apply a candidate configuration. The engineer inspects the device capabilities and sees 'urn:ietf:params:netconf:capability:candidate:1.0' is NOT listed. What is the most likely reason for the failure?

Accepted Answer

The device does not support the NETCONF candidate datastore, so candidate configuration operations cannot be used.. The NETCONF capabilities exchange advertises supported features. The candidate datastore capability indicates whether the device supports a candidate configuration that can be edited and committed. Without it, operations targeting the candidate datastore will fail. The engineer should verify capabilities before attempting candidate-based workflows and use the running datastore instead.

Answer

The device requires a YANG model to be loaded before candidate configuration can be used.

Answer

The NETCONF session must use SSH version 2, but the device is using SSH version 1.

Answer

The ncclient library version is incompatible with the IOS XE NETCONF implementation.

Question 8

A network automation team is evaluating configuration management tools. They need a tool that uses a declarative, agentless architecture and communicates over SSH to push configuration to Cisco IOS XE devices. Which tool best fits these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Ansible with the ios_config module. Ansible is designed as an agentless automation tool that connects over SSH and uses declarative YAML playbooks. The ios_config module is purpose-built for Cisco IOS configuration management. This combination meets all stated requirements: declarative, agentless, and SSH-based. Other tools either require agents or add architectural complexity that makes them less suitable for this scenario.

Answer

Puppet with the Cisco IOS module

Answer

SaltStack with the napalm proxy minion

Answer

Chef Infra with the Cisco IOS cookbook

Question 9

A network administrator is new to automation and wants to start using Ansible to manage a group of Cisco IOS XE switches. The administrator has installed Ansible on a Linux control node and created an inventory file listing the switches. The administrator now needs to create a playbook that will gather facts from the switches and display them. Which Ansible module should the administrator use in the playbook to collect operational facts from the Cisco IOS XE devices?

Accepted Answer

ios_facts. Ansible provides platform-specific modules for network devices. For Cisco IOS XE, the ios_facts module is designed to collect a wide range of operational facts, such as version, interfaces, and hardware. It returns structured data that can be used in playbooks. This module is the standard way to gather facts from IOS XE devices without manual parsing.

Answer

ios_config

Answer

ios_command

Answer

setup

Question 10

A network engineer is writing a Python script to retrieve the list of interfaces from a Cisco IOS XE device using RESTCONF. The script sends a GET request to https://10.1.1.1/restconf/data/ietf-interfaces:interfaces and receives a 401 Unauthorized response. The device is reachable, and RESTCONF is enabled. The engineer verifies that the username and password are correct. Which action should the engineer take to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Configure the HTTP client to use basic authentication with the correct credentials.. A 401 Unauthorized response indicates that the request lacks valid authentication credentials. RESTCONF relies on HTTP authentication, so the client must include an Authorization header, typically using basic authentication. Even if the username and password are correct, they must be transmitted with the request. The other options address different issues: content negotiation, API enablement, or HTTP method, none of which cause a 401. Therefore, configuring basic authentication is the correct fix.

Answer

Enable the RESTCONF API using the 'restconf' command under global configuration.

Answer

Change the request method from GET to POST.

Answer

Add the header 'Accept: application/yang-data+json' to the request.

Question 11

A network administrator is new to automation and wants to use a simple, agentless tool to push configuration changes to Cisco IOS XE devices. The administrator prefers using YAML for playbook definitions and wants to avoid installing software on the managed devices. Which tool best fits these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Ansible. Ansible is an agentless automation tool that uses YAML for playbooks, making it easy to learn and use. It connects to network devices via SSH or NETCONF and does not require installing software on the devices. This aligns perfectly with the administrator's need for a simple, agentless solution.

Answer

Chef

Answer

SaltStack

Answer

Puppet

Question 12

A network automation team is evaluating RESTCONF as a replacement for CLI scraping on Cisco IOS XE devices. They need to understand the operational characteristics of RESTCONF to design their tooling. Which two statements accurately describe RESTCONF behavior on Cisco IOS XE? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

RESTCONF uses HTTP methods such as GET, POST, PUT, PATCH, and DELETE to manipulate YANG-modeled data.. RESTCONF is a RESTful protocol that uses HTTP methods to manipulate YANG-modeled data and supports both XML and JSON encodings. On Cisco IOS XE, JSON is supported, which is advantageous for modern automation. The other statements are false: candidate datastore is not mandatory, SSH is not the transport, and there is no automatic YANG-to-MIB translation.

Answer

RESTCONF requires a candidate datastore to be enabled before any configuration changes can be made.

Answer

RESTCONF uses SSH as its transport protocol and does not support HTTPS.

Answer

RESTCONF automatically translates YANG models into SNMP MIBs for monitoring.

Question 13

A network automation team uses a Python script with the ncclient library to configure a Cisco IOS XE device via NETCONF. The script establishes a session and sends an RPC with a candidate datastore. After sending the RPC, the script immediately sends a RPC, but the device returns an error indicating that the candidate datastore is not supported. Which statement explains the cause of this error?

Accepted Answer

The device does not support the candidate datastore, so the script must use the running datastore directly.. The error indicates that the candidate datastore is not supported by the device. Cisco IOS XE devices often support only the running datastore for NETCONF edits. The candidate datastore allows a two-phase commit, but if it is not available, the script must target the running datastore. The <commit> operation is only for the candidate datastore. Therefore, the script should be changed to edit the running datastore directly, which applies changes immediately.

Answer

The device requires the use of NETCONF over SSH instead of TLS for candidate datastore operations.

Answer

The script must first send a <lock> RPC on the candidate datastore before editing.

Answer

The script must send a RPC before the to ensure the candidate configuration is valid.

Question 14

A network engineer is writing a Python script to retrieve the operational status of all GigabitEthernet interfaces from a Cisco IOS XE device using NETCONF. The script establishes an SSH session to the device on port 830 and sends a RPC with a subtree filter. The device responds with an indicating 'unknown-element' for the filter. Which action should the engineer take to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the YANG model for the interface operational data is supported and use the correct namespace in the filter.. The 'unknown-element' error in NETCONF indicates that the filter references a data node that the device does not recognize. This typically happens when the YANG model is not supported or the namespace is incorrect. The engineer must verify that the device supports the relevant YANG model and that the filter uses the correct namespace and node names.

Answer

Convert the subtree filter to an XPath filter and resend the <get> RPC.

Answer

Change the NETCONF transport from SSH to TLS by enabling the netconf-tls feature on the device.

Answer

Increase the NETCONF session timeout on the device using the netconf max-sessions command.

Question 15

A network administrator is introducing infrastructure as code for Cisco IOS XE switches. The team wants to store device configurations in a version-controlled repository and apply changes only after peer review. They need a tool that can enforce the desired state and report drift without making changes during the review phase. Which tool should they use to meet these requirements?

Accepted Answer

Ansible with the ios_config module in check mode. Ansible's check mode allows the playbook to simulate changes and report drift without modifying the device. This supports peer review and infrastructure as code by validating the desired state before applying. The other tools either lack built-in dry-run capabilities or are not designed for configuration review workflows.

Answer

SNMP polling with a custom monitoring dashboard

Answer

Cisco Network Services Orchestrator (NSO) with commit queues

Answer

Python script using Netmiko to push configuration commands directly