hardMultiple Choice
CCNP Practice Question: Is deploying a virtual WAN edge device using…
A network engineer is deploying a virtual WAN edge device using Cisco SD-WAN on an NFVIS platform. After powering on the VM, the device fails to boot and the NFVIS console shows 'ERROR: No bootable device found'. The engineer verified that the ISO image is correctly uploaded. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between image upload errors (corruption, size) and boot process errors (boot order), leading candidates to incorrectly suspect the ISO or disk configuration when the real issue is a missing boot device priority.
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 boot order in the VM configuration does not have the CD-ROM (ISO) as the first device.
The error 'No bootable device found' indicates that the VM attempted to boot from a device that does not contain a bootable operating system. In NFVIS, when deploying a virtual WAN edge device from an ISO, the VM's boot order must be configured to prioritize the CD-ROM (ISO) device. If the boot order defaults to the virtual hard disk (which is empty before installation), the VM will fail to find a bootable medium and produce this exact error.
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 VM's virtual disk size is too small for the WAN edge image.
Why it's wrong here
A virtual disk that is too small does not produce a 'no bootable device' error. If the WAN edge ISO actually began booting, the installer would proceed to copy the image to the virtual disk and then fail with an insufficient space or disk write error. The fact that the VM is looking for a bootable medium before the OS is installed points to a boot order problem, not a sizing problem.
- ✗
The VM's CPU type is set to 'host-passthrough' instead of 'qemu64'.
Why it's wrong here
CPU type settings such as 'host-passthrough' versus 'qemu64' affect instruction set compatibility and can trigger a CPU reset, a triple fault, or a kernel panic during early boot, but they cannot prevent the firmware from finding the ISO. The 'no bootable device' message comes from BIOS/UEFI before the CPU's advanced features are even exercised. This option is wrong because CPU misconfiguration would manifest after a boot medium is located.
- ✓
The boot order in the VM configuration does not have the CD-ROM (ISO) as the first device.
Why this is correct
The ISO installation image is mounted as a virtual CD-ROM; if the VM's boot order does not list the CD-ROM first, the firmware will pivot to the empty virtual hard disk. Since that disk has no boot loader and no installed NFVIS image, the firmware reports 'no bootable device'. Changing the boot order to prioritize the CD-ROM (or virtual media) lets the installer start and deploy the WAN edge image to the disk.
- ✗
The ISO image is corrupted and NFVIS cannot read it.
Why it's wrong here
A corrupted ISO image would be detected by the firmware or by NFVIS's integrity checks, and the error would be an 'invalid image', a bad checksum, or an I/O read failure. Even a partially readable ISO that the firmware tries to boot would get past the BIOS banner and fail during the kernel/initrd loading stage, not with a 'no bootable device' message. The 'no bootable device' error specifically means no bootable medium was found at all, not that the medium's contents were corrupt.
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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.