hardMultiple Choice
CCNP Practice Question: An engineer configures model-driven telemetry on…
An engineer configures model-driven telemetry on a Cisco IOS-XE device with the following gRPC dial-out configuration:
``` telemetry ietf subscription 101 encoding encode-kvgpb filter xpath /interfaces/interface/state/counters source-address 10.1.1.1 stream yang-push update-policy periodic 500 receiver ip address 10.2.2.2 50001 protocol grpc-tcp ```
What is the purpose of the 'encoding encode-kvgpb' command?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse encoding formats with compression or assuming that 'kvgpb' stands for something else; candidates might pick JSON or XML due to familiarity, but the exam tests precise knowledge of telemetry encoding keywords.
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 the Key-Value Google Protocol Buffers format.
The command 'encoding encode-kvgpb' explicitly sets the telemetry data encoding to Key-Value Google Protocol Buffers (kvGPB). This is a compact, efficient binary format that maps YANG leaf paths to key-value pairs, optimized for high-frequency streaming telemetry over gRPC. It is not JSON, XML, or a compression mechanism; it is a specific serialization format defined for model-driven telemetry on Cisco 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 human readability.
Why it's wrong here
encode-kvgpb selects compact GPB binary key-value encoding, not JSON; JSON readability is offered by encode-json. It tempts because telemetry data is often inspected as JSON, but this subscription's encoding directive governs wire serialisation, and GPB produces binary output unsuitable for direct human reading.
- ✓
It specifies that the data should be encoded using the Key-Value Google Protocol Buffers format.
Why this is correct
Key-Value GPB encoding serialises each telemetry field as a key-value pair within a compact protobuf message, which the gRPC-TCP receiver at 10.2.2.2:50001 decodes natively. This satisfies the dial-out subscription's requirement for efficient, structured streaming of the periodic 500-centisecond interface counter data over gRPC.
- ✗
It enables compression of the telemetry data.
Why it's wrong here
KV-GPB is a compact binary GPB encoding, not a compression layer; compression is a transport concern handled separately, so this command does not gzip payloads. It tempts because GPB's smaller wire size resembles compression's bandwidth savings, yet encoding defines serialisation format, not data reduction.
- ✗
It sets the encoding to XML format.
Why it's wrong here
encode-kvgpb selects Google Protocol Buffers key-value encoding over gRPC, not XML. XML is tempting because telemetry supports multiple encodings, but the kvgpb suffix explicitly denotes the compact protobuf key-value format used for efficient streaming to the collector.
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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.