200-901 Infrastructure and Automation Practice Question
Which TWO of the following are benefits of using NETCONF over SNMP for network automation? (Select exactly 2.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that NETCONF is 'lighter' than SNMP, but the trap here is that NETCONF's XML and SSH overhead actually increase CPU usage, while SNMP's binary encoding and UDP make it more efficient for simple monitoring tasks.
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
✓
Structured data models (YANG)
Option A is correct because NETCONF uses YANG data models to define configuration and state data in a structured, hierarchical, vendor-neutral way, which is far more suitable for programmatic automation than SNMP's flat MIB/OID model. Option D is correct because NETCONF supports transactional configuration changes via candidate datastores, commit, confirmed-commit, and rollback-on-error, so a set of edits either fully applies or is rolled back, unlike SNMP SET operations which are not transactionally grouped. Option B is not a defining benefit of NETCONF over SNMP; NETCONF over SSH can actually be more resource-intensive than lightweight SNMP polling, and CPU usage depends on implementation. Option C is wrong because NETCONF typically uses XML (text) encoding, not binary encoding, while SNMP can use BER binary encoding. Option E is wrong because simple polling is characteristic of SNMP monitoring, whereas NETCONF is designed for configuration management and uses RPC-based sessions, not simple polling.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Structured data models (YANG)
Why this is correct
YANG provides standardised, hierarchical data models that NETCONF encodes in XML, giving automation tools machine-readable schema and validation. SNMP's flat MIB structure and opaque OIDs cannot express configuration intent this precisely, satisfying the structured-model benefit.
- ✗
Lower CPU usage on devices
Why it's wrong here
Not necessarily.
- ✗
Binary data encoding
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF encodes messages in XML, which is text-based, whereas SNMP uses ASN.1 BER binary encoding; claiming binary encoding inverts the actual difference. It is tempting because binary formats are compact and efficient, but NETCONF's benefit is structured, human-readable configuration data, not binary transport.
- ✓
Transactional configuration changes
Why this is correct
NETCONF commits configuration changes as atomic transactions, so a failed edit rolls back entirely rather than leaving partial state. SNMP lacks this, relying on individual SET operations with no rollback. This satisfies the stem's automation benefit: reliable, all-or-nothing configuration across devices.
- ✗
Simple polling mechanism
Why it's wrong here
A polling mechanism is not a NETCONF advantage because NETCONF uses a datastore-driven, transactional model with explicit commit and rollback operations, whereas SNMP relies on repeated GET requests to retrieve individual OIDs. This option tempts because SNMP’s polling is indeed simple for basic monitoring, and in a scenario requiring only periodic read-only data collection, polling would be the correct choice.
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