350-401 Network Assurance Practice Question
A network engineer is analyzing the output of 'show ip sla statistics' on a Cisco IOS router. The engineer notices that the SLA operation is returning 'Timeout' for several probes. Which two statements are true about the potential causes of this issue? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse timeout with other failures like 'unreachable' or 'error', and assuming that configuration errors like frequency or unsupported protocol cause timeouts, when they typically cause different symptoms.
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 timeout value may be set too low for the network latency.
Timeouts in IP SLA statistics indicate that the probe packets are not receiving a response within the configured timeout period. This can be caused by the target being unreachable due to routing or ACL issues, or by the timeout value being too low relative to network latency. Both conditions prevent the successful completion of the probe, leading to timeouts.
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 timeout value may be set too low for the network latency.
Why this is correct
If the timeout value is set lower than the actual round-trip time, the probe will time out even if the response eventually arrives. This is common in high-latency networks. Adjusting the timeout to accommodate network conditions can resolve the timeouts.
- ✓
The target device may be unreachable due to a routing issue.
Why this is correct
If the target device is unreachable, the SLA probe packets will not receive a response, resulting in timeouts. This could be due to a missing route, an ACL blocking the probe traffic, or the target device being down. Troubleshooting routing and connectivity to the target is essential when timeouts occur.
- ✗
The source interface may not have a valid IP address configured.
Why it's wrong here
If the source interface lacks a valid IP address, the SLA operation may fail to start or use an incorrect source. However, this typically results in immediate errors rather than timeouts. Timeouts suggest that the probe was sent but no reply was received, so the source IP is likely configured but connectivity is the issue.
- ✗
The SLA operation may be using an unsupported protocol type.
Why it's wrong here
Cisco IP SLA supports various protocols like ICMP, UDP, TCP, and HTTP. If an unsupported protocol were configured, the operation would likely fail to start or return an error, but it would not produce timeouts. Timeouts specifically indicate that probes are sent but no response is received within the timeout period.
- ✗
The SLA operation may be configured with an incorrect frequency.
Why it's wrong here
The frequency defines how often the operation runs, but it does not cause timeouts. Timeouts occur when individual probes do not receive a response within the timeout period. Incorrect frequency would affect the interval between operations, not the success of each probe.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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