CCNA Architecture And Deployment Questions

MCQhard

When designing an ISE deployment across WAN links, what is the primary recommendation regarding MnT nodes?

A.Distributed MnTs across all WAN sites

B.Always place MnT in the cloud

C.Disable logging for remote sites

D.Keep the MnT node in the same high-speed network as the PAN

AnswerD

MnT requires high bandwidth for synchronization and log processing.

Why this answer

MnT nodes are bandwidth-heavy due to log aggregation; placing them across high-latency, low-bandwidth WAN links can cause replication delays and data loss.

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MCQmedium

In a distributed environment, if the Primary PAN goes offline, what happens to the Secondary PAN?

A.It disconnects from the PSNs

B.It remains in Secondary mode until manually promoted

C.It stops accepting configuration changes

D.It automatically assumes the Primary role

AnswerB

Manual promotion is required for the secondary PAN.

Why this answer

The Secondary PAN does not automatically promote itself to Primary. An administrator must manually promote it.

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MCQeasy

What is the default persona of a newly installed Cisco ISE appliance before any configuration changes?

A.PSN

B.Standalone

C.Monitoring node

D.Primary PAN

AnswerB

Fresh installations default to standalone.

Why this answer

A fresh ISE installation defaults to a standalone node, which includes all personas enabled.

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MCQhard

When utilizing pxGrid in a distributed deployment, which node should be configured as the pxGrid controller?

A.Dedicated pxGrid node only

B.Any PSN with the service enabled

C.Monitoring node only

D.Primary PAN only

AnswerB

pxGrid is a service that can be enabled on any PSN node.

Why this answer

pxGrid services can be enabled on any PSN, but it is typically recommended to pin them to specific nodes to ensure consistent connectivity for subscribers.

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MCQhard

When configuring a load balancer for a group of PSNs, what is the best practice for handling RADIUS traffic?

A.SSL-offloading

B.Source-IP affinity (persistence)

C.Active-passive failover only

D.Round-robin without persistence

AnswerB

Source-IP affinity ensures the RADIUS state is maintained by the same PSN.

Why this answer

For RADIUS, the load balancer should use source-IP persistence (sticky sessions) to ensure that the Access-Request and subsequent Access-Challenge/Response messages hit the same PSN.

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Multi-Selecteasy

Which TWO items are required to register a secondary node to the Primary PAN?

Select 2 answers

A.A list of all other nodes in the cluster

B.A shared secret for RADIUS

C.Administrative credentials for the secondary node

D.A valid license file for the secondary node

E.Secondary node hostname or IP

AnswersC, E

Credentials are required for the Primary to access the Secondary.

Why this answer

The registration requires the secondary node's hostname/IP and administrative credentials to authenticate the handshake process.

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MCQmedium

When adding a secondary PAN, what is the consequence if the time synchronization (NTP) differs significantly between nodes?

A.The node will operate in read-only mode

B.The node will join but logs will be out of order

C.Only TACACS+ services will be impacted

D.The registration process will fail

AnswerD

NTP mismatch prevents secure communication and database replication.

Why this answer

ISE requires tight time synchronization between all nodes in the deployment for certificate validation and log timestamps; large drifts cause replication failure.

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Multi-Selecthard

Which THREE conditions must be met for a successful ISE node upgrade?

Select 3 answers

A.A factory reset is performed

B.All nodes in the deployment are in a 'Connected' state

C.Database consistency check completed

D.The node is in 'Standalone' mode

E.Sufficient free disk space on all partitions

AnswersB, C, E

Synchronization must be healthy before starting.

Why this answer

Upgrades require a healthy cluster state, enough disk space for the upgrade bundle, and verified database consistency.

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MCQmedium

You are configuring a new ISE node for your deployment. What is the correct sequence to join a secondary node to the existing deployment?

A.Initiate registration from the Primary PAN under Administration > System > Deployment

B.Configure the Secondary node as an standalone node and merge databases

C.Run the join command from the secondary node's CLI

D.Create a cluster via the ISE CLI setup wizard

AnswerA

This is the correct navigation path for adding nodes to an ISE deployment.

Why this answer

You must register the secondary node from the Primary PAN GUI, providing the secondary node's credentials and IP.

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MCQhard

Which specific ISE process is responsible for managing the communication between the PAN and PSNs?

A.ISE Messaging Service

B.Application Server

C.Radius Core

D.Monitoring Service

AnswerA

Messaging service manages inter-node coordination.

Why this answer

The 'ISE Messaging Service' (based on RabbitMQ) is the backbone for communication and state synchronization between nodes.

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MCQhard

In a high-availability deployment, you have a Primary PAN/MnT and a Secondary PAN/MnT. If the Primary PAN fails, what is the impact on the Monitoring (MnT) services?

A.Monitoring data remains logged to the Secondary MnT node

B.The Secondary PAN must be manually promoted to Primary to restore MnT functionality

C.ISE enters a read-only state for all PSNs

D.MnT services immediately stop on all nodes

AnswerA

In a distributed deployment, the secondary node continues to collect and process logs.

Why this answer

MnT services are independent of the PAN role; if the Primary MnT fails, the Secondary MnT assumes the role, but PAN failure does not automatically crash MnT unless they share the same physical node.

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MCQmedium

What is the purpose of the 'PAN' role in a deployment?

A.Log aggregation and reports

B.Centralized policy management

C.Authentication of endpoints

D.Database backups

AnswerB

PAN manages all policies and configuration.

Why this answer

The Policy Administration Node (PAN) provides the centralized management interface for all policy definitions and deployment configuration.

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MCQmedium

When decommissioning an ISE node, what is the correct order of steps?

A.Change node to standalone, then remove

B.Shut down the node, then remove from deployment

C.Re-image the node, then remove from deployment

D.Remove from deployment, then shut down

AnswerD

Removing from deployment ensures a clean deregistration.

Why this answer

You must first remove the node from the deployment list in the Primary PAN, then you can safely wipe/decommission the physical/virtual appliance.

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MCQmedium

What is the function of the 'PassiveID' feature in a distributed ISE deployment?

A.It enables redundant authentication

B.It replaces the need for PSNs

C.It caches RADIUS requests

D.It provides user identity mapping without active probing

AnswerD

PassiveID listens to sources like WMI or Syslog for identity mapping.

Why this answer

PassiveID allows ISE to collect user-to-IP mapping information from external sources without active polling, which is critical for identity-based access control.

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Multi-Selecteasy

Which TWO functions are performed by the Monitoring and Troubleshooting (MnT) persona?

Select 2 answers

A.Policy distribution

B.Reporting and analytics

C.RADIUS authentication

D.Log aggregation from all nodes

E.Endpoint profiling probe

AnswersB, D

MnT provides the GUI for reporting.

Why this answer

MnT nodes are responsible for collecting logs from all nodes in the deployment and providing the analytics/reporting interface.

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Multi-Selecthard

Which THREE features are configured at the node level in the ISE Administration console?

Select 3 answers

A.Global policy rules

B.Logging categories

C.External ID store configuration

D.Profiling probes

E.Network interface settings

AnswersB, D, E

Logging configuration is specific to the node.

Why this answer

Logging categories, physical interface settings, and service-specific parameters (like profiling probes) are configured per-node.

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MCQeasy

A customer is planning a large campus deployment with 50,000 concurrent endpoints. Which persona should be dedicated to handle the authentication load to ensure high performance?

A.Policy Administration Node (PAN)

B.Policy Service Node (PSN)

C.Standalone Node

D.Monitoring and Troubleshooting Node (MnT)

AnswerB

PSNs handle the authentication and authorization traffic in a distributed environment.

Why this answer

Policy Service Nodes (PSNs) are the dedicated persona for handling RADIUS and TACACS+ authentication/authorization requests.

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MCQmedium

You are deploying a distributed ISE architecture and need to ensure that the Policy Administration Node (PAN) maintains configuration integrity. Which mechanism is used to synchronize configuration changes from the Primary PAN to all secondary nodes?

A.Rsync over SSH

B.RADIUS Change of Authorization (CoA)

C.Distributed Configuration Synchronization via HTTPS

D.SNMPv3 Trap propagation

AnswerC

ISE uses an encrypted HTTPS-based mechanism to push configuration to secondary nodes.

Why this answer

The PAN uses a distributed configuration synchronization process via HTTPS/REST APIs to push configuration changes to all other nodes in the deployment.

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MCQeasy

How do you verify the current licensing status and consumption on your ISE deployment?

A.Dashboard > Licensing

B.Policy > Licensing

C.Administration > System > Licensing

D.Operations > Licensing

AnswerC

This is the correct path for licensing status.

Why this answer

You navigate to Administration > System > Licensing to view the consumption and validity of your licenses.

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Multi-Selectmedium

Which THREE resources are monitored via the ISE dashboard to ensure deployment health?

Select 3 answers

A.CPU utilization

B.Memory usage

C.Bandwidth per user

D.Temperature of the appliance

E.Disk space usage

AnswersA, B, E

Monitors compute load.

Why this answer

The dashboard provides visibility into CPU usage, memory utilization, and disk I/O, which are critical for PSN performance.

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MCQmedium

When configuring a secondary MnT node, what is the 'Primary' versus 'Secondary' relationship regarding log collection?

A.The Secondary collects from specific PSNs only

B.Both nodes log simultaneously

C.The Primary collects, Secondary is standby

D.Nodes load balance the logs

AnswerC

The MnT role is active/standby.

Why this answer

The Primary MnT is the active log aggregator, and the Secondary MnT acts as a standby, taking over only if the Primary fails.

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MCQeasy

Which menu path is used to view the status of all nodes in an ISE deployment?

A.Operations > Reports

B.Administration > Maintenance

C.Administration > System > Deployment

D.Policy > Policy Elements

AnswerC

This page displays node status and persona configuration.

Why this answer

Administration > System > Deployment provides the status dashboard for all nodes in the cluster.

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MCQeasy

Which of the following describes the 'Standalone' deployment model?

A.PAN and PSN on separate nodes

B.Only PSN role is active

C.Multiple nodes in a cluster

D.All personas on a single node

AnswerD

Standalone means one node performs all roles.

Why this answer

A standalone model means all personas (PAN, MnT, PSN) are hosted on a single physical or virtual appliance.

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Multi-Selecteasy

Which TWO of the following are valid ISE deployment personas?

Select 2 answers

A.Authentication Proxy Node

B.Database Node

C.Policy Administration Node

D.Policy Service Node

E.Reporting Node

AnswersC, D

PAN is a valid persona.

Why this answer

The three standard ISE personas are Policy Administration Node (PAN), Monitoring and Troubleshooting Node (MnT), and Policy Service Node (PSN).

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MCQeasy

Which service is required to be enabled on a PSN to allow it to receive RADIUS requests from network access devices?

A.Policy Service

B.Registration Service

C.Administration Service

D.Monitoring Service

AnswerA

The Policy Service enables RADIUS and TACACS+.

Why this answer

The 'Policy Service' node must have the RADIUS/TACACS+ service enabled in its configuration.

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Multi-Selecteasy

Which TWO are common causes for a node to fail to join a deployment?

Select 2 answers

A.Insufficient memory on the node

B.Blocked network ports

C.License mismatch between nodes

D.Invalid certificate trust between nodes

E.Incorrect browser version

AnswersB, D

Management ports must be open.

Why this answer

The most common causes are certificate validation errors and network connectivity issues (e.g., blocked ports).

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MCQhard

If a PSN loses connectivity to the PAN, what happens to existing user sessions?

A.All sessions are terminated

B.Sessions remain active and the PSN continues to authenticate

C.The PSN enters emergency mode

D.The PSN reboots

AnswerB

PSNs are autonomous for authentication once policy is synced.

Why this answer

The PSN will continue to handle existing sessions and new authentications using the cached policy, but configuration changes cannot be pushed.

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MCQeasy

Which license type is required to enable advanced profiling and posture services on Cisco ISE?

A.ISE Premier

B.Device Admin License

C.ISE Essentials

D.ISE Advantage

AnswerD

Advantage provides advanced profiling and posture capabilities.

Why this answer

ISE licenses are tiered, and 'ISE Advantage' is typically required for advanced context-aware features like profiling and posture.

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Multi-Selectmedium

Which THREE factors influence the decision to use multiple PSNs in a deployment?

Select 3 answers

A.Increased log storage capacity

B.Centralized database backup

C.Geographical distribution

D.Load balancing of RADIUS requests

E.Redundancy for node failure

AnswersC, D, E

Reduces latency for remote sites.

Why this answer

Multiple PSNs are used for geographical redundancy, load balancing of authentication requests, and high availability in case of node failure.

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MCQhard

You are troubleshooting a PSN that is not receiving configuration updates. Which log file on the PSN would provide the most insight into the configuration sync process?

A.config-dist.log

B.catalina.out

C.radius.log

D.prrt-server.log

AnswerA

This log traces the configuration distribution process.

Why this answer

The 'config-dist.log' file specifically tracks the configuration distribution and synchronization events between the PAN and PSN.

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