CCNA AI and Network Operations Practice Question
A network engineer is automating the configuration of a new branch office router. The engineer needs a protocol that uses a YANG data model, supports both configuration and operational state retrieval, and operates over SSH for secure transport. Which protocol should the engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between NETCONF and RESTCONF, where the trap is that both use YANG, but candidates forget that NETCONF specifically requires SSH transport, while RESTCONF uses HTTP/HTTPS, making NETCONF the only correct answer when the question specifies 'operates over SSH'.
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
✓
NETCONF
NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol) is the correct choice because it uses YANG data models for configuration and operational state retrieval, and it operates over SSH (RFC 6242) for secure transport. Unlike SNMP, NETCONF provides transactional configuration changes and separates configuration from operational state data, making it ideal for automated router configuration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
SNMP
Why it's wrong here
SNMP is a UDP-based network management protocol that relies on Management Information Bases (MIBs) and object identifiers (OIDs) for polling and trap-style operations, rather than YANG data models. Its security mechanisms, such as community strings or SNMPv3's USM, do not leverage SSH transport, and SNMP is primarily designed for monitoring and simple configuration, not transactional, schema-validated configuration management. This makes SNMP unsuitable for the secure, structured automation that YANG-based protocols provide.
- ✓
NETCONF
Why this is correct
NETCONF is an IETF-standard protocol that uses YANG data models to define configuration and operational state data, encoding operations like get, edit-config, and commit in XML over a secure SSH transport. It explicitly separates the running configuration from operational state, supports transactional commit/rollback and candidate datastores, and provides a session-oriented, RPC-based mechanism ideal for automating network device configuration securely. These capabilities make NETCONF the correct choice for the scenario.
- ✗
RESTCONF
Why it's wrong here
RESTCONF also leverages YANG data models and provides access to configuration and operational state via RESTful HTTP methods (GET, PUT, POST, DELETE) with JSON or XML encoding. However, it operates over HTTP/HTTPS rather than SSH, and it lacks NETCONF's native session-oriented RPC model and transaction semantics such as confirmed-commit and candidate configuration datastores. For environments requiring SSH-based secure transport and robust transaction support, RESTCONF is a less fitting alternative.
- ✗
CLI scripting
Why it's wrong here
CLI scripting lacks a structured YANG data model and does not separate configuration from operational state retrieval in a standardised schema; it transmits commands as plain text over SSH rather than using a protocol like NETCONF that encodes YANG-defined operations. It is tempting because engineers commonly use SSH for secure remote device management, and CLI scripting works well for ad-hoc or one-off router configuration tasks where no programmatic data modelling is required.
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.
✓NETCONFCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
NETCONF is an IETF-standard protocol that uses YANG data models to define configuration and operational state data, encoding operations like get, edit-config, and commit in XML over a secure SSH transport. It explicitly separates the running configuration from operational state, supports transactional commit/rollback and candidate datastores, and provides a session-oriented, RPC-based mechanism ideal for automating network device configuration securely. These capabilities make NETCONF the correct choice for the scenario.
✗SNMPWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
SNMP does not use YANG data models and typically operates over UDP, not SSH.
✗RESTCONFWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
RESTCONF uses HTTP/HTTPS for transport, not SSH, so it does not meet the requirement of operating over SSH.
✗CLI scriptingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
CLI scripting lacks a standardized data model like YANG and is not a protocol that operates over SSH in the same structured manner as NETCONF.
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?”
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Agentic AI in Network Operations
Key term
Router
A router is a networking device that connects different networks together and directs data traffic between them by choosing the best path for data to travel.
Key term
SNMP
A network protocol used to collect and organize information about managed devices on IP networks and to modify that information to change device behavior.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.