200-901 Cisco Platforms and Development Practice Question
This 200-901 practice question tests your understanding of cisco platforms and development. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company uses Cisco NSO to manage multiple network devices. They want to ensure that before deploying a configuration change, all devices are in sync with NSO's CDB. Which approach is the best practice?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Configure NSO to automatically sync devices when changes are detected
Option A is correct because NSO's automatic sync capability (via the 'devices sync' or 'sync-from' action triggered by device changes) ensures that the Configuration Database (CDB) remains the authoritative source of truth without manual intervention. This best practice eliminates the risk of deploying a change to devices that are out of sync, which could cause configuration drift or operational failures. NSO's NETCONF-based synchronization allows it to detect and reconcile differences between CDB and device running configurations automatically.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Configure NSO to automatically sync devices when changes are detected
Why this is correct
NSO can automatically sync devices via 'sync-from' triggered by device changes or periodic checks.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Run 'devices sync-from' on all devices before each deployment
Why it's wrong here
Manually syncing before every deployment is inefficient and error-prone.
✗
Schedule a periodic sync every hour
Why it's wrong here
Periodic sync may miss changes between intervals.
✗
Use the 'check-sync' action and only deploy if all devices are in sync
Why it's wrong here
'check-sync' only reports the sync status, it does not automatically sync.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that 'check-sync' is sufficient for safe deployments, but the trap is that it only verifies state without automatically resolving drift, which still requires a separate sync action to ensure CDB accuracy before deployment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, NSO uses NETCONF or SNMP to compare the device's running configuration against the CDB's stored configuration. The 'sync-from' operation performs a full configuration retrieval, while automatic sync can be configured to trigger on device state changes (e.g., via a 'commit' or 'device-change' event). In real-world scenarios, relying on manual or periodic sync can lead to deployment failures in large-scale networks where devices are frequently modified by other systems, making automatic sync the only reliable method to maintain consistency.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Cisco Platforms and Development — This question tests Cisco Platforms and Development — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Configure NSO to automatically sync devices when changes are detected — Option A is correct because NSO's automatic sync capability (via the 'devices sync' or 'sync-from' action triggered by device changes) ensures that the Configuration Database (CDB) remains the authoritative source of truth without manual intervention. This best practice eliminates the risk of deploying a change to devices that are out of sync, which could cause configuration drift or operational failures. NSO's NETCONF-based synchronization allows it to detect and reconcile differences between CDB and device running configurations automatically.
What should I do if I get this 200-901 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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