hardMultiple Choice
CCNP Practice Question: Is configuring model-driven telemetry on a Cisco…
A network engineer is configuring model-driven telemetry on a Cisco IOS-XE device that is part of a DNA Center managed fabric. The telemetry subscription configuration is:
telemetry ietf subscription 101 encoding encode-kvgpb filter xpath /process-cpu-ios-xe-oper:cpu-usage/cpu-utilization stream yang-push update-policy periodic 500 receiver ip address 10.10.10.10 port 5555 protocol grpc-tcp
What is the purpose of the 'encoding encode-kvgpb' line?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is assuming 'encode-kvgpb' relates to encryption or compression because of the unfamiliar acronym — candidates must recognise that 'kvgpb' stands for Key-Value Google Protocol Buffers, a serialisation format, not a security or compression feature.
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
✓
It specifies that the data should be encoded using Google Protocol Buffers (protobuf) with key-value pairs.
The 'encoding encode-kvgpb' line specifies that telemetry data should be encoded using Google Protocol Buffers (protobuf) in a key-value format. KV-GPB (Key-Value Google Protocol Buffers) is a compact, efficient encoding used for streaming telemetry data to a receiver, and it is the standard encoding for gRPC-based telemetry subscriptions on IOS-XE.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It sets the encoding to JSON format for the telemetry data.
Why it's wrong here
KVGPB denotes compact GPB key-value encoding, not JSON; JSON would be selected with a different encoding keyword such as encode-json. It is tempting because JSON is a familiar telemetry format, and would be correct where human-readable, self-describing payloads are required.
- ✓
It specifies that the data should be encoded using Google Protocol Buffers (protobuf) with key-value pairs.
Why this is correct
The `encode-kvgpb` setting selects key-value Google Protocol Buffers encoding, compacting the YANG-modelled CPU telemetry into a schema-driven binary format. This satisfies the subscription's requirement to stream efficiently to the gRPC receiver at 10.10.10.10:5555, since protobuf serialisation is far smaller than JSON or XML payloads over the same periodic 500-centisecond interval.
- ✗
It enables encryption of the telemetry data.
Why it's wrong here
Encoding governs data serialisation, not transport security; encryption is provided by gRPC over TLS, configured independently of this line. It is tempting because binary GPB payloads look opaque, and would be correct if the requirement were to secure the telemetry receiver connection.
- ✗
It defines the compression algorithm for the telemetry stream.
Why it's wrong here
The keyword specifies the serialisation format, key-value GPB, for the gRPC payload; compression is negotiated separately by gRPC. It is tempting because compact binary encoding reduces payload size, and would be correct if the requirement were explicitly to compress the telemetry stream.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.