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CCNA AI and Network Operations Practice Question
Drag and drop the following steps into the correct order to configure an IOS-XE device as an NTP client and set up syslog reporting of NTP events to a remote log server.
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates may think any order of these configuration commands is acceptable, but the required order is to configure the NTP server first, then the logging host, then enable NTP event logging, and finally verify.
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
✓
Enter global configuration mode, configure NTP server, configure logging host, enable logging of NTP events, verify.
The correct order is to first enter global configuration mode, then configure the NTP server to define the time source, then configure the logging host to specify the remote syslog server, then enable logging of NTP events so that NTP-related syslog messages are generated and sent to the configured host, and finally verify the configuration. This corresponds to option A. Option B is incorrect because configuring the logging host before the NTP server would attempt to send logs before time synchronization is set up. Option C is incorrect because enabling NTP event logging before configuring both the NTP server and the logging host means there is no NTP server to generate events and no logging destination to send them to. Option D is incorrect because enabling logging of NTP events before configuring the logging host would cause generated messages to be dropped if the logging host is not yet set; the logging host must be configured before enabling NTP event logging. Therefore, only option A is correct.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enter global configuration mode, configure NTP server, configure logging host, enable logging of NTP events, verify.
Why this is correct
This is the correct sequence: first enter config mode, then set the NTP server, then configure syslog to send to the remote server, enable NTP event logging, and finally verify.
- ✗
Enter global configuration mode, configure logging host, configure NTP server, enable logging of NTP events, verify.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because the NTP server should be configured before the logging host to ensure NTP synchronization is established before logging is set up.
- ✗
Enter global configuration mode, enable logging of NTP events, configure NTP server, configure logging host, verify.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because enabling NTP event logging before configuring the NTP server would have no effect, as there is no NTP source yet.
- ✗
Enter global configuration mode, configure NTP server, enable logging of NTP events, configure logging host, verify.
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because the logging host should be configured before enabling NTP event logging to ensure the log server is ready to receive messages.
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.
✓Enter global configuration mode, configure NTP server, configure logging host, enable logging of NTP events, verify.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is the correct sequence: first enter config mode, then set the NTP server, then configure syslog to send to the remote server, enable NTP event logging, and finally verify.
✗Enter global configuration mode, configure logging host, configure NTP server, enable logging of NTP events, verify.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error: The order of NTP server and logging host configuration is reversed; NTP server should come first.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think logging configuration is independent of NTP and can be done first, but best practice is to set NTP first.
✗Enter global configuration mode, enable logging of NTP events, configure NTP server, configure logging host, verify.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error: Enabling NTP event logging before configuring the NTP server is premature; the NTP server must be configured first.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might assume logging can be enabled at any time, but it requires NTP to be configured first to generate meaningful events.
✗Enter global configuration mode, configure NTP server, enable logging of NTP events, configure logging host, verify.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error: The logging host should be configured before enabling NTP event logging, not after.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think enabling logging first is fine, but the logging host must be defined to actually send logs.
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
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Key term
Precision Time Protocol
Precision Time Protocol is a network protocol used to synchronize clocks across devices with extremely high accuracy, often within microseconds or nanoseconds.
Key term
Network Time Protocol
Network Time Protocol (NTP) is a networking protocol that synchronizes the clocks of computers and devices over a network to a common reference time source, typically Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
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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.