SISE · domain
Network Access Device Administration
This domain covers Cisco ISE's device administration role: TACACS+ authentication, authorization, and accounting for network devices, plus command authorization and device administration policy sets. Questions test how ISE processes TACACS+ requests, how shell profiles and command sets control CLI access, and how to verify that device requests reach the ISE PSN.
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What to know about Network Access Device Administration
Be able to configure and troubleshoot TACACS+ device administration in ISE: authentication, authorization policy sets, shell profiles, and command sets. Get the authorization flow right, including what happens when no policy matches, and know how to confirm requests reach the PSN.
TACACS+ authentication, authorization, and accounting functions between network devices and Cisco ISE
Shell profiles and command sets controlling per-user CLI privilege and permitted commands
TACACS+ authorization policy set processing and default handling for unmatched requests
Verification that TACACS+ requests reach the ISE PSN using logs and diagnostics
Watch out for
Common Network Access Device Administration exam traps
- ▸Confusing TACACS+ accounting (records commands/events) with authorization (decides what a user may do).
- ▸Assuming unmatched TACACS+ authorization requests are always denied; the default result depends on policy configuration.
- ▸Overlooking that shell profiles set privilege levels and attributes, while command sets restrict specific commands.
Question index
All Network Access Device Administration questions (39)
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When defining a Shell Profile for a TACACS+ administrator, which setting ensures the user is placed into privilege level 15 immediately upon login?
Medium2Which attribute in a Shell Profile is used to control whether a user can perform 'enable' commands?
Medium3You are implementing TACACS+ device administration for a group of routers. You need to assign specific privilege levels to different users. Where in the ISE policy set is this privilege assignment configured?
Medium4You are troubleshooting a scenario where an admin cannot execute a specific command despite the Command Set having 'Permit' for that command. What is a common reason?
Hard5Which port does Cisco ISE use by default for TACACS+ communication with network devices?
Easy6In the context of TACACS+, what is the purpose of the 'Network Device Group'?
Easy7When troubleshooting TACACS+ authentication issues in Cisco ISE, which log file should you monitor to see the specific request details and the policy match result?
Hard8Which TWO of the following are valid components of a TACACS+ Authorization Policy in Cisco ISE? (Choose two)
Medium9A network engineer is troubleshooting a TACACS+ authentication failure on a Cisco switch. The switch is configured to use Cisco ISE as its TACACS+ server. The engineer runs 'debug tacacs' on the switch and sees that the request is sent but no response is received. Which action should the engineer take first to resolve the issue?
Medium10A network engineer is adding a Cisco Catalyst 9300 switch to Cisco ISE for TACACS+ device administration. The switch will use a shared secret of 'C1sco123'. The engineer wants to ensure that ISE can authenticate and authorize administrative sessions from this device. Where should the shared secret be configured in ISE?
Medium11Which of the following is a best practice when configuring TACACS+ for network administration?
Medium12Where are the TACACS+ accounting logs stored and viewed in the ISE management console?
Medium13A user is assigned a Command Set that permits all commands, but they are still receiving 'Access Denied' when running 'reload'. What is the most likely reason?
Hard14Which component in Cisco ISE defines the TACACS+ privilege levels and attributes sent to the network device?
Medium15Which TWO of the following are benefits of using Network Device Groups (NDG)? (Choose two)
Medium16Which component in ISE is responsible for mapping an authenticated user to a specific set of permissions and command restrictions in a TACACS+ environment?
Easy17Which THREE of the following items are considered 'results' in an ISE authorization policy? (Choose three)
Hard18How can you verify that ISE is receiving TACACS+ requests from a specific switch?
Medium19A network administrator is configuring a Cisco ISE TACACS+ Command Set to allow users to execute 'show running-config' but deny all other 'show' commands. Which command set configuration in ISE achieves this?
Hard20Which THREE of the following are characteristics of the TACACS+ protocol? (Choose three)
Hard21What is the benefit of using multiple TACACS+ Policy Sets?
Easy22If a user is authenticated via TACACS+ but no authorization policy matches, what is the default behavior?
Hard23Which TWO methods can be used to verify that a TACACS+ request from a network device is reaching the Cisco ISE PSN?
Hard24Which menu path in Cisco ISE is used to define a new Network Device Group?
Easy25Which TWO of the following are true regarding TACACS+ command sets? (Choose two)
Medium26You are configuring a Network Device Group in Cisco ISE to organize devices by geographical location. Which menu path should you navigate to in order to create a new Network Device Group?
Easy27An administrator notices that TACACS+ authentication is failing for devices. The logs show 'RADIUS request received'. What is the most likely cause?
Hard28A network administrator is adding a new Cisco IOS router to Cisco ISE for TACACS+ device administration. The administrator needs to ensure that ISE recognizes the router and accepts its TACACS+ requests. What must be configured in ISE for the router?
Easy29When configuring a Shell Profile, what is the purpose of the 'Common Tasks' section?
Medium30A network engineer is deploying TACACS+ device administration with Cisco ISE for a large number of Cisco IOS routers. The engineer wants to centralize the authorization of commands so that users in different groups have different command privileges. The engineer has already configured authentication and authorization policy sets in ISE. Which additional configuration is required on the Cisco IOS routers to ensure that command authorization is enforced by ISE?
Hard31A network engineer is configuring a Cisco router to use TACACS+ for device administration with Cisco ISE. The engineer wants to ensure that if the TACACS+ server is unreachable, the router falls back to local authentication. Which command should be configured on the router?
Easy32If a user is assigned a Shell Profile with a specific 'Auto-Command' configured, what happens when they log into the network device?
Medium33Which statement best describes the role of the TACACS+ 'Accounting' feature?
Medium34Which THREE items are configurable within a TACACS+ Shell Profile in Cisco ISE?
Hard35You are configuring a TACACS+ command set to restrict an administrator from running 'show running-config' on Cisco switches. Which match condition ensures that this specific command is blocked while allowing other 'show' commands?
Medium36Which TWO of the following are true about Shell Profiles? (Choose two)
Medium37How does Cisco ISE handle requests that do not match any configured TACACS+ Authorization Policy?
Medium38When adding a network device to ISE, you select the 'TACACS+ Authentication Settings' checkbox. What is the impact of this action?
Medium39When setting up TACACS+ for network administration, which THREE configurations must be present on the Cisco network device? (Choose three)
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Frequently asked questions
- What does the Network Access Device Administration domain cover on the SISE exam?
- Be able to configure and troubleshoot TACACS+ device administration in ISE: authentication, authorization policy sets, shell profiles, and command sets. Get the authorization flow right, including what happens when no policy matches, and know how to confirm requests reach the PSN.
- How many questions are in this domain?
- This page lists all 39 Network Access Device Administration questions in the SISE question bank. The actual exam draws from this domain proportionally to its weighting in the official exam blueprint.
- What is the best way to practise this domain?
- Start with a short focused session (10 questions) to identify gaps, then work through explanations. Repeat with a longer session once the weak areas feel solid.
- Can I practise only Network Access Device Administration questions?
- Yes — the session launcher on this page filters questions to this domain only. Choose any session length for inline explanations and scoring.