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200-901 Practice Question: A developer is implementing error handling in a…
A developer is implementing error handling in a script that makes multiple API calls to Cisco ACI. Which approach is best practice for handling transient network failures?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between 'fixed delay' and 'exponential backoff' by presenting a scenario where a developer might think a simple retry loop is sufficient, but the trap is that fixed delays can cause synchronized retry storms that crash the APIC controller.
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
✓
Retry with exponential backoff
Exponential backoff is the best practice for handling transient network failures in API calls because it reduces server load and prevents thundering herd problems. Cisco ACI's REST API can become overwhelmed if many clients retry simultaneously with fixed delays, making exponential backoff the recommended approach in REST API design and Cisco's own documentation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Retry with fixed delay
Why it's wrong here
A fixed delay retries at constant intervals, so a service recovering slowly is hammered at the same rate and may stay saturated. Exponential backoff with jitter is the standard for transient failures; fixed delay suits only predictable, short, uniform outages.
- ✗
Ignore errors and continue
Why it's wrong here
Discarding errors lets the script proceed with incomplete ACI state, producing inconsistent configuration that surfaces later as hard-to-trace faults. Silently continuing is acceptable only for genuinely optional, non-idempotent telemetry calls, never for configuration API operations.
- ✗
Always retry immediately
Why it's wrong here
Immediate retries give the failing service no recovery window and amplify load during an outage, worsening the transient condition. Retry logic still applies, but it must include a backoff interval; immediate repetition suits only failures known to clear within milliseconds.
- ✓
Retry with exponential backoff
Why this is correct
Retry with exponential backoff handles transient network failures by progressively increasing the delay between attempts, preventing overwhelming the Cisco ACI controller during recovery. This satisfies the stem's requirement for best-practice error handling across multiple API calls, since brief outages resolve without manual intervention or immediate retry storms.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-901 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 200-901 exam.