mediumMultiple Choice
CCNP Practice Question: An architect is designing an SD-WAN policy to…
An architect is designing an SD-WAN policy to ensure that real-time video traffic from headquarters to branch offices is always sent over the most reliable transport, while all other traffic uses the least-cost path. Which type of policy should be used to achieve this?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between control policies (which manipulate routing information) and data policies (which manipulate packet forwarding), and the trap here is that candidates confuse centralized control policy with centralized data policy, thinking route manipulation can achieve application-based path selection when it cannot.
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
✓
Centralized data policy configured on vSmart.
A centralized data policy configured on vSmart is correct because it allows the SD-WAN controller to enforce application-aware routing decisions across the fabric. By matching real-time video traffic and steering it over the transport with the highest loss/reachability metrics (most reliable), while using a separate rule to direct all other traffic over the least-cost path, the policy is applied globally from the vSmart controller without requiring per-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.
- ✗
Localized data policy applied on the vEdge router.
Why it's wrong here
A localized data policy is configured directly on a vEdge router and operates in the data plane at that single device. It can match fields such as DSCP, prefix, or port and perform local actions like setting the forwarding class or dropping packets, but it does not participate in the SD-WAN controller's path computation. Because it has no visibility into overlay tunnel status or remote vEdge capabilities, it cannot enforce centralized, application-aware path selection across the WAN.
- ✓
Centralized data policy configured on vSmart.
Why this is correct
Centralized data policy on vSmart is the only mechanism that combines application identification (via DPI or NBAR) with real-time SLA metrics (loss, latency, jitter) to dynamically steer traffic over the best overlay tunnel. The policy is defined centrally on vSmart and then distributed to vEdge routers as part of the OMP route and policy updates, allowing network-wide, consistent forwarding decisions. This makes it the correct solution for application-aware path selection based on live link conditions.
- ✗
Centralized control policy for route manipulation.
Why it's wrong here
A centralized control policy for route manipulation is used to modify OMP routing attributes such as preference, origin, and community tags to influence which routes are advertised or accepted. It operates on control-plane information and not on per-packet data flows, so it cannot measure or react to real-time link quality. While it can change the available topology or next-hop preferences, it does not enforce application-specific SLA-based path selection.
- ✗
Localized app-route policy on the branch vEdge.
Why it's wrong here
An app-route policy on a branch vEdge is a localized data-plane policy that classifies application traffic on that specific router and can direct it toward a particular next-hop or local tunnel. It lacks the centralized view of the WAN fabric and cannot coordinate with vSmart or other vEdges to evaluate end-to-end SLA metrics. Therefore, its path decisions are not network-wide and do not meet the requirement for centralized application-aware path selection.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every 350-401 question from scratch — 1,923 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.