mediumMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Runs the following command on Router R1: R1# show…
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1:
R1# show ip sla summary
IPSLAs Latest Operation Summary Codes: * active, ^ inactive, ~ pending
ID Type Destination Stats Return Code Last 1 icmp-echo 192.168.1.10 Success OK 1 2 icmp-echo 192.168.1.20 Success OK 2 3 udp-jitter 192.168.1.30 Success OK 3 *4 icmp-echo 192.168.1.40 Success OK 10
Based on this output, what can be concluded?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misinterpretation of the 'Last' column as round-trip time (RTT) rather than the time since the last operation, leading candidates to incorrectly compare values as RTT.
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
✓
IP SLA operation 4 is currently active.
The asterisk (*) in the first column of the 'show ip sla summary' output indicates that IP SLA operation 4 is currently active. The other operations (IDs 1, 2, and 3) have no asterisk, meaning they are inactive. The 'Return Code' column shows 'OK' for all operations, confirming they completed successfully, but only operation 4 is actively running.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
All IP SLA operations are active.
Why it's wrong here
The asterisk (*) in the output of `show ip sla` is the indicator that an operation is actively running, and it appears exclusively next to operation ID 4. Every other operation listed lacks this marker, which means they are either configured but not scheduled, or they are in an inactive or stopped state. Therefore, interpreting all operations as active is a misreading of the state column and would be incorrect for this output.
- ✓
IP SLA operation 4 is currently active.
Why this is correct
Operation ID 4 is the only entry in the output that carries an asterisk (*), and in Cisco IOS IP SLA, that symbol denotes an operation that is currently executing active probes. All other entries show no such marker, so they are not in an active state at this moment. This is a direct and unambiguous indication that operation 4 is the sole active IP SLA operation.
- ✗
IP SLA operation 3 has failed.
Why it's wrong here
Operation 3 is reported with a status of 'Success', which is the direct opposite of a failed state. In IP SLA output, a failed operation would display a status such as 'Timeout', 'Over threshold', or a non-zero return code. Since the output explicitly shows 'Success' for operation 3, it has not failed; it is operating normally and generating expected results.
- ✗
IP SLA operation 1 has the highest round-trip time.
Why it's wrong here
The 'Last' column in IP SLA output records the most recent round-trip time (RTT) measurement, and operation 1 shows a value of 1, which is the lowest number among the listed operations. Assuming this is a common unit like seconds or milliseconds, a value of 1 cannot be the highest RTT. Furthermore, the 'Last' column may reflect a different metric depending on the operation type, but in no reasonable interpretation does operation 1 represent the highest round-trip time.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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