200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
In a network automation workflow, a developer needs to ensure idempotency. What does idempotency mean in this context?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests idempotency by pairing it with failure recovery or concurrency, hoping candidates confuse idempotency with fault tolerance or parallel execution.
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
✓
Running the script once produces the same result as running it multiple times
Idempotency in network automation means that executing an operation multiple times results in the same network state as executing it once. For example, using a REST API PUT request to set a VLAN configuration will leave the device in the same state whether the request is sent once or repeatedly, because PUT is inherently idempotent. This prevents unintended side effects like duplicate VLANs or interface misconfigurations when a script is retried due to network failures or timeouts.
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 script uses a single API call
Why it's wrong here
Idempotency concerns repeated execution producing the same end state, not the number of API calls; a single call can still create duplicates on each run. It is tempting because consolidating calls often accompanies idempotent design, and a single-call script would be the right answer if the question asked about minimising request volume.
- ✓
Running the script once produces the same result as running it multiple times
Why this is correct
Idempotency means repeated execution converges on the same end state without duplicating changes, because the tool compares desired configuration against current device state. This satisfies the workflow's requirement that reruns after partial failure remain safe.
- ✗
The script can recover from failures
Why it's wrong here
Failure recovery describes resilience or retry behaviour, not idempotency; a script can retry successfully yet still duplicate resources if it is not idempotent. It is tempting because idempotency supports safe retries, and this would be the right answer if the question asked how a workflow handles transient errors.
- ✗
The script can run on multiple devices simultaneously
Why it's wrong here
Parallel execution across devices describes concurrency and scalability, not idempotency; running the same script twice on one device must still yield an unchanged result. It is tempting because automation workflows frequently target many devices, and this would be correct if the question asked how to apply configuration at scale.
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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.