350-501 Automation and Assurance Practice Question
A service provider wants to stream interface counters from a Cisco router to a collector using model-driven telemetry. The collector is behind NAT and cannot be reached from the router. Which telemetry model should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between dial-in and dial-out telemetry, and the trap here is that candidates assume gNMI or NETCONF can be used for streaming telemetry in any network topology, forgetting that these protocols require the collector to initiate the connection, which fails when the collector is behind NAT.
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
✓
Dial-out
Dial-out telemetry is the correct model because it allows the router to initiate a TCP connection to the collector, even when the collector is behind NAT and cannot be reached from the router. In dial-out mode, the router acts as the client and pushes telemetry data to the collector's configured IP address and port, bypassing the need for the collector to initiate the connection. This contrasts with dial-in models where the collector must reach the router, which is impossible when the collector is behind NAT.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Dial-out
Why this is correct
Dial-out lets the router push telemetry to the collector, working even if the collector is behind NAT.
- ✗
SNMP traps
Why it's wrong here
SNMP traps are not model-driven and lack structured data.
- ✗
gNMI
Why it's wrong here
gNMI is a protocol for telemetry but typically uses dial-in; it may not solve the NAT issue.
- ✗
NETCONF
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF is for configuration management, not streaming telemetry.
- ✗
Dial-in
Why it's wrong here
Dial-in requires the collector to initiate the connection, but the collector is behind NAT.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-501 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 350-501 exam.