mediumMultiple Choice
CCNP Practice Question: Runs the following command on Router R3: R3# show…
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R3:
R3# show interfaces GigabitEthernet0/0
GigabitEthernet0/0 is up, line protocol is up Hardware is ISR4331-2x1GE, address is aabb.cc00.0300 (bia aabb.cc00.0300) Internet address is 10.0.0.3/24 MTU 1500 bytes, BW 1000000 Kbit/sec, DLY 10 usec, reliability 255/255, txload 1/255, rxload 1/255
Encapsulation ARPA, loopback not set
Keepalive set (10 sec) Full-duplex, 1000Mb/s, media type is RJ45 output flow-control is unsupported, input flow-control is unsupported ARP type: ARPA, ARP Timeout 04:00:00 Last input 00:00:00, output 00:00:00, output hang never Last clearing of "show interface" counters never Input queue: 0/75/0/0 (size/max/drops/flushes); Total output drops: 0 Queueing strategy: fifo Output queue: 0/40 (size/max) 5 minute input rate 1000 bits/sec, 2 packets/sec 5 minute output rate 2000 bits/sec, 3 packets/sec 12345 packets input, 1234567 bytes, 0 no buffer Received 123 broadcasts (0 IP multicasts) 0 runts, 0 giants, 0 throttles 0 input errors, 0 CRC, 0 frame, 0 overrun, 0 ignored 0 watchdog, 0 multicast, 0 pause input 12345 packets output, 2345678 bytes, 0 underruns 0 output errors, 0 collisions, 1 interface resets 0 unknown protocol drops 0 babbles, 0 late collision, 0 deferred 0 lost carrier, 0 no carrier, 0 pause output 0 output buffer failures, 0 output buffers swapped out
Based on this output, what can be concluded?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between 'interface resets' and 'input errors' — candidates may mistakenly assume any non-zero counter indicates a problem, but a single reset is normal and does not imply hardware failure or high errors.
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 interface has had one reset since the last counter clear.
The output shows '1 interface resets' under the output statistics. Interface resets occur when the interface is reset by software or hardware, often due to a configuration change, a cable issue, or a temporary link flap. Since the last clearing of counters, this single reset indicates a past event, not a current hardware failure.
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 interface has experienced a hardware failure.
Why it's wrong here
A hardware failure is not indicated by this output. The interface is administratively up and protocol up, and the output shows no CRC errors, no input errors, and no output errors. The '1 interface resets' counter on a Cisco IOS interface typically increments for reasons other than hardware failure, such as a manual shutdown/no-shutdown cycle, a link flap due to a cable reconnection, or a temporary loss of signal on the line. A genuine hardware fault would usually be accompanied by additional symptoms, such as a large number of CRC errors, a down/down state, or a specific hardware error counter incrementing (e.g., 'rx_crc_errors' or 'carrier transitions'), none of which appear here.
- ✓
The interface has had one reset since the last counter clear.
Why this is correct
This is correct because the output explicitly displays '1 interface resets' under the interface counters. In Cisco IOS, the 'interface resets' counter increments each time the interface is reset, typically due to a line protocol drop, a manual admin down/up toggle, or a media renegotiation. The value of '1' indicates exactly one reset event has occurred since the last time the 'clear counters' command was issued on this interface. This is a direct, factual reading of the counter, and interpreting it as 'one reset since the last counter clear' is the most accurate and literal interpretation of the given output.
- ✗
The interface is experiencing high input errors.
Why it's wrong here
High input errors are not present because the output shows '0 input errors' in the interface counters. The input error counter in Cisco IOS aggregates a number of sub-errors (e.g., CRC errors, frame errors, overruns, ignored packets) and a value of 0 means none of those have occurred on this interface. Even if there were some input errors, a high rate would be a separate concern from interface resets, which are counted independently and do not necessarily correlate with error rates. Therefore, claiming high input errors directly contradicts the provided counter reading.
- ✗
The interface is operating at half-duplex.
Why it's wrong here
The interface is not operating at half-duplex; the output explicitly states 'Full-duplex' in the interface characteristics section. In Cisco IOS, the duplex and speed are displayed after the line protocol status, such as 'Full-duplex, 1000Mb/s'. A half-duplex setting would be shown as 'Half-duplex', and would typically appear if the interface negotiated a lower speed or if it was manually configured. Since the output clearly shows full duplex, any assertion of half-duplex operation is factually incorrect based on the given data.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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