350-501 Automation and Quality of Service Practice Question
An automation engineer is writing a Python script using Cisco's pyATS library to validate QoS configurations across a fleet of routers. The script runs without errors but reports that all routers are compliant even though some are not. What is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that a generic 'show running-config' parser will capture all configuration details, when in reality, nested or interface-specific constructs require targeted parsing or explicit iteration.
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 script uses a single 'show running-config' without filtering, and the parser fails to locate QoS policies applied under interfaces
The pyATS parser for 'show running-config' without filtering may not recursively parse QoS policy-map configurations applied under interfaces. When the script uses a single unfiltered 'show running-config', the parser might fail to extract QoS policies nested under interface sub-configurations, leading to false compliance reports. This is a common issue where the parser's data model does not map deeply nested CLI structures like 'service-policy input/output' under interfaces.
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 pyATS library does not support QoS features for the specific platform
Why it's wrong here
pyATS supports a wide range of platforms, and if a parser exists, it would correctly interpret the data.
- ✗
The testbed credentials are incorrect but the script still returns compliant
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect credentials would cause connection errors or authentication failures, not false compliance.
- ✓
The script uses a single 'show running-config' without filtering, and the parser fails to locate QoS policies applied under interfaces
Why this is correct
A generic 'show run' parser may not extract nested configurations like interface service-policies, leading to false compliance.
- ✗
The script is parsing the startup-config instead of running-config
Why it's wrong here
If it parsed startup-config, changes not saved would be missed, but the script would still detect the current config only if it matches.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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