350-501 Automation and Quality of Services Practice Question
In SR-PCE architecture, which protocol is used for communication between the Path Computation Element (PCE) and the Path Computation Client (PCC) to request and report SR-TE paths?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between protocols that carry topology information (BGP-LS) versus protocols that carry path computation requests (PCEP), so candidates mistakenly choose BGP-LS because they associate it with Segment Routing, but it does not handle the PCE-PCC signaling.
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
✓
PCEP
B is correct because the Path Computation Element Protocol (PCEP), defined in RFC 5440 and extended for Segment Routing in RFC 8664, is the dedicated protocol used between a PCE and a PCC to request, report, and delegate SR-TE paths. PCEP carries explicit path computation requests (PCReq) and replies (PCRep), as well as state reporting (PCRpt) and delegation (PCUpd) messages, making it the standard control-plane protocol for SR-PCE architectures.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
RESTCONF
Why it's wrong here
RESTCONF is for data access, not path computation.
- ✓
PCEP
Why this is correct
PCEP is the standard protocol for PCE-PCC interactions.
- ✗
NETCONF
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF is for configuration management, not path computation.
- ✗
BGP-LS
Why it's wrong here
BGP-LS distributes link-state topology, not path computation.
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