hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
300-410 Practice Question: An engineer is troubleshooting a router that is…
An engineer is troubleshooting a router that is configured to archive configurations to a TFTP server at 192.168.1.10. The 'archive' configuration includes 'path tftp://192.168.1.10/config-archive' and 'write-memory'. The engineer notices that the archive is not being created after 'copy running-config startup-config'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between archive triggers (write-memory vs. time-period) to see if candidates mistakenly think a missing time-period prevents all archiving, when in fact write-memory triggers archiving on config saves without needing a timer.
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
✓
The TFTP server does not have write permissions for the directory.
The 'write-memory' command under the 'archive' configuration triggers an automatic archive of the running configuration to the specified TFTP server whenever 'copy running-config startup-config' is executed. If the TFTP server does not have write permissions for the target directory, the file transfer will fail silently or with an error, preventing the archive from being created. This is the most likely cause because the configuration syntax is correct, and the issue is on the server side.
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 TFTP server does not have write permissions for the directory.
Why this is correct
TFTP servers often require a pre-existing file or write permissions; if the server cannot create the file, the archive fails silently.
- ✗
The 'archive' configuration is missing the 'time-period' command.
Why it's wrong here
The 'time-period' command is for periodic archiving, not for 'write-memory' triggered archiving.
- ✗
The router's 'file prompt quiet' command is configured, suppressing error messages.
Why it's wrong here
Even with 'file prompt quiet', errors would still be logged; the archive would still attempt to write.
- ✗
The TFTP server's IP address is incorrect in the path.
Why it's wrong here
The engineer can likely ping the server; if the IP were wrong, the archive would fail with a timeout, but the server being unreachable is less specific than write permissions.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This 300-410 question is part of Courseiva's 1,966-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 300-410 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 300-410 exam.