hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
200-901 Practice Question: A team is building a CI/CD pipeline for network…
A team is building a CI/CD pipeline for network automation. They want to use Cisco Modeling Labs (CML) to validate configuration changes before production. What is the best approach to integrate CML into the pipeline?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between tools that manage device configuration (Ansible, pyATS) versus tools that manage the simulation environment itself (CML API), leading candidates to pick a tool they know well instead of the correct integration method.
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
✓
Use CML's REST API to start a simulation, apply changes, run tests, then tear down
D is correct because CML provides a REST API that allows programmatic lifecycle management of simulations. Integrating this API into a CI/CD pipeline enables the pipeline to dynamically create an isolated test environment, apply configuration changes, run validation tests, and then tear down the simulation to free resources. This approach ensures repeatability, isolation, and efficient resource usage, which are critical for automated network validation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use the pyATS framework to connect to CML and run tests
Why it's wrong here
pyATS is for testing, not lifecycle management.
- ✗
Create a permanent topology in CML for each branch
Why it's wrong here
Permanent topologies waste resources and are not isolated.
- ✗
Use Ansible to provision CML nodes directly
Why it's wrong here
Ansible can interact with CML via REST API, but direct provisioning is not typical.
- ✓
Use CML's REST API to start a simulation, apply changes, run tests, then tear down
Why this is correct
Dynamically starting and stopping simulations ensures clean, isolated testing.
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