mediumMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Issues the following command on Router R3: R3#…
A network engineer issues the following command on Router R3:
R3# show ip sla statistics 2
Round Trip Time (RTT) for Index 2 Latest RTT: 12 ms Latest RTT: NoConnection/Busy/Timeout Latest Operation Start Time: 12:00:00.000 UTC Mon Mar 1 2021 Latest Operation Return Code: Timeout Number of successes: 45 Number of failures: 5 Over thresholds: 0
Based on this output, what is the most likely issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the latest probe result and the cumulative success/failure counters, trapping candidates who assume a single timeout means the target is completely unreachable or that the RTT value applies to the failed probe.
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 most recent probe timed out, indicating a possible connectivity issue.
The output shows a 'Latest Operation Return Code: Timeout' for the most recent probe, while the 'Number of successes: 45' and 'Number of failures: 5' indicate that the IP SLA operation has historically succeeded. This combination points to a transient or intermittent connectivity issue causing the latest probe to time out, not a persistent failure. Option C correctly identifies that the most recent probe timed out, suggesting a possible connectivity issue at that moment.
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 IP SLA operation has never succeeded.
Why it's wrong here
The IP SLA operation has definitely succeeded in the past: the configured history reveals 45 successful probes out of 50 total operations. A return code of 'Success' was recorded for each of those 45 attempts. Therefore, the claim that it 'has never succeeded' is directly contradicted by the accumulated statistics, which show a clear record of prior reachability.
- ✗
The target is unreachable due to a persistent failure.
Why it's wrong here
The target is not persistently unreachable because only 5 of the last 50 IP SLA probes failed; the remaining 45 probes received an ICMP echo reply. Persistent failure would manifest as a high failure percentage, many consecutive timeouts, or a 'Connection lost' return code over an extended window. In contrast, this is an intermittent pattern, with the latest probe timing out but the majority of probes succeeding, so 'persistent unreachable' is an inaccurate diagnosis.
- ✓
The most recent probe timed out, indicating a possible connectivity issue.
Why this is correct
The most recent IP SLA probe returned a 'Timeout' code, meaning the router did not receive an ICMP echo reply from the target within the configured timeout period (for example, the default 5000 ms). Because the historical counters show both successes and failures, this timeout is a current, isolated signal of a possible transient connectivity problem such as congestion, routing loop, or temporary unavailability. This is the only answer that correctly interprets the latest operation's return code.
- ✗
The round-trip time is 12 ms, which is above the threshold.
Why it's wrong here
An RTT of 12 ms is not 'above the threshold' because the IP SLA statistics clearly report 0 'Over thresholds' events. IP SLA thresholds are configured independently (using the 'threshold' command), and the counter only increments when a probe's RTT exceeds that configured value. Without knowing the configured threshold, a raw 12 ms RTT cannot be classified as above-threshold, and the zero over-threshold count proves no such violation occurred.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.