Question 1,912 of 1,389
CCNA Network Services and Security Practice Question
A network administrator notices that syslog messages from a core router are arriving at the syslog server with timestamps that are hours behind other devices. The router’s NetFlow exports also show incorrect start and end times for flows, making traffic analysis unreliable. The administrator verifies that all router interfaces are up and that the SNMP community strings on the router match the NMS.
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between time synchronization issues (NTP) and logging/SNMP configuration issues, so candidates may incorrectly attribute timestamp problems to syslog or SNMP settings rather than the underlying system clock.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The router’s NTP client is configured with an incorrect authentication key.
The router's timestamps are incorrect for both syslog messages and NetFlow exports, which points to a system-wide time synchronization issue. NTP (Network Time Protocol) is responsible for maintaining accurate time on network devices, and if the NTP client is configured with an incorrect authentication key, it will fail to synchronize with the NTP server, causing the router's clock to drift. This explains why all time-stamped data (syslog and NetFlow) is consistently behind.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The logging trap level is set to informational, so only high-severity messages are sent with correct timestamps.
Why it's wrong here
Setting the logging trap level to informational actually allows all messages of severity informational and higher (levels 0–6) to be sent. Even if only emergencies were sent, their timestamps would still be accurate if the router’s clock is correct.
- ✓
The router’s NTP client is configured with an incorrect authentication key.
Why this is correct
NTP can use authentication keys to verify server identity. If the client key does not match the server’s key, the router will not trust the time updates and will fail to synchronize. This leaves the router’s clock uncorrected, causing incorrect timestamps in syslog and NetFlow records.
- ✗
The SNMP v3 user’s privacy password is incorrect, causing the NMS to reject syslog traps.
Why it's wrong here
SNMP v3 authentication and privacy settings control SNMP traps, which are separate from syslog messages. Syslog uses UDP port 514 and does not depend on SNMP v3 credentials. An SNMP v3 misconfiguration would affect trap delivery, not syslog timestamps or NetFlow exports.
- ✗
The IP flow cache timeout is set too low, causing NetFlow timestamps to appear skewed.
Why it's wrong here
The flow cache timeout determines how long an active flow is kept in the cache before it is exported. A lower timeout exports flows more frequently but does not alter the actual start or end times recorded in the flow records. The timestamps in NetFlow records come from the system clock, not the cache timer.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 200-301 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓The router’s NTP client is configured with an incorrect authentication key.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
NTP can use authentication keys to verify server identity. If the client key does not match the server’s key, the router will not trust the time updates and will fail to synchronize. This leaves the router’s clock uncorrected, causing incorrect timestamps in syslog and NetFlow records.
✗The logging trap level is set to informational, so only high-severity messages are sent with correct timestamps.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Logging trap level controls which severity messages are forwarded, not the accuracy of the timestamps.
✗The SNMP v3 user’s privacy password is incorrect, causing the NMS to reject syslog traps.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
SNMP v3 misconfiguration impacts SNMP traps, not syslog messages, which are sent independently via a different transport.
✗The IP flow cache timeout is set too low, causing NetFlow timestamps to appear skewed.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Cache timeout affects flow export frequency, not the accuracy of the timestamps inside the flow data.
Analysis generated from the official 200-301blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This 200-301 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-301 exam.
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