mediumMultiple Select
350-401 Practice Question: Which two statements about NFV MANO (Management…
Which two statements about NFV MANO (Management and Orchestration) are true? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is conflating VIM responsibilities with VNFM/NFVO duties — candidates assume the VIM does 'everything infrastructure-related,' but ETSI strictly separates VNF lifecycle (VNFM) from NFVI resource management (VIM).
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 VNF Manager (VNFM) is responsible for the lifecycle management of VNF instances, including instantiation and scaling.
Option A is correct because the VNF Manager (VNFM) in the ETSI NFV MANO architecture owns the lifecycle of VNF instances, performing operations such as instantiation, configuration, scaling, healing, and termination of VNFs. Option B is correct because the NFV Orchestrator (NFVO) performs resource orchestration and network service orchestration, coordinating resource allocation across multiple VNFs and the NFVI, and managing Network Service (NS) lifecycle. Option C is incorrect because VNF lifecycle management belongs to the VNFM, while the Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM) manages the NFVI compute, storage, and network resources (e.g., via OpenStack) and their virtualization, not VNF lifecycles. Option D is incorrect because service chaining and policy enforcement are handled by the NFVO/VNFM and the NFVI forwarding functions (e.g., via SFC/OpenFlow), not by the VIM, which controls the virtualized infrastructure resources. Option E is incorrect because the VNFM manages VNF software instances, not physical hardware; physical and virtualized infrastructure resources in the NFVI are managed by the VIM.
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 VNF Manager (VNFM) is responsible for the lifecycle management of VNF instances, including instantiation and scaling.
Why this is correct
The VNFM handles lifecycle operations for virtual network functions, covering instantiation, scaling, updating and termination, as ETSI MANO defines. This satisfies the stem's requirement for a true MANO statement, since lifecycle management of VNF instances falls squarely within the VNFM's orchestration role rather than the NFVO or VIM.
- ✓
The NFV Orchestrator (NFVO) coordinates the allocation of resources across multiple VNFs and the NFVI.
Why this is correct
The NFV Orchestrator sits above the VNF Manager and Virtualised Infrastructure Manager, so it alone performs cross-domain resource orchestration across the NFVI and multiple VNFs. This satisfies the stem's requirement for a true MANO statement, since resource allocation spanning several VNFs is precisely the NFVO's defined role rather than the VNFM's per-VNF lifecycle scope.
- ✗
The Virtualized Infrastructure Manager (VIM) manages the lifecycle of VNFs and their connectivity.
Why it's wrong here
VNF lifecycle and connectivity belong to the VNFM, not the VIM. The VIM manages and orchestrates the NFVI's compute, storage and network resources. It is tempting because the VIM does handle connectivity at the infrastructure layer, but VNF-level lifecycle sits with the VNFM.
- ✗
The VIM is responsible for service chaining and policy enforcement within the NFV environment.
Why it's wrong here
Service chaining and policy enforcement are performed by the NFVO and VNFM, not the VIM. The VIM allocates and manages NFVI resources. It is tempting because the VIM touches virtual networking, but chaining across VNFs is orchestration, outside its scope.
- ✗
The VNFM is responsible for managing the physical hardware resources in the NFVI.
Why it's wrong here
The VNFM manages VNF lifecycle — instantiation, scaling, termination — not the physical hardware. Hardware resources in the NFVI fall under the VIM. It is tempting because lifecycle management is genuinely a MANO function, but it applies to virtual network functions, not the physical layer.
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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
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.