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)
NETCONF uses YANG (RFC 6020/7950) to define structured, hierarchical data models, enabling consistent and predictable configuration and state data retrieval. This contrasts with SNMP's flat MIB structure, which is less flexible for complex automation tasks. Option D is correct because NETCONF supports candidate configurations and confirmed commits (RFC 6241, Section 8.4), allowing transactional changes that can be validated and rolled back atomically, whereas SNMP lacks built-in transaction support.
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 standardized data models.
- ✗
Lower CPU usage on devices
Why it's wrong here
Not necessarily.
- ✗
Binary data encoding
Why it's wrong here
NETCONF uses XML, not binary.
- ✓
Transactional configuration changes
Why this is correct
NETCONF supports rollback on failure.
- ✗
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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