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350-401 Practice Question: Which three statements about Cisco SD-WAN…
Which three statements about Cisco SD-WAN architecture components and their roles are true? (Choose three.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse vBond and vSmart roles — candidates often assume the 'smart' controller handles NAT traversal because it sounds more capable, but NAT traversal is strictly vBond's job.
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
✓
vManage provides a centralized dashboard for configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the entire SD-WAN fabric.
Option A is correct because vManage is the centralized management plane component of Cisco SD-WAN, providing a single dashboard/GUI for configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the entire fabric. Option B is correct because vSmart controllers are the control plane: they run OMP and distribute routing information, policies, and TLOCs to all WAN Edge routers in the overlay. Option C is correct because vBond orchestrators are the orchestration plane: they authenticate WAN Edge devices joining the fabric and perform NAT traversal/public IP discovery so tunnels can be established. Option D is wrong because NAT traversal and public IP discovery are vBond functions, not vSmart functions. Option E is wrong because OMP route distribution to vEdge routers is done by vSmart controllers, not by vManage, which is the management plane.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
vManage provides a centralized dashboard for configuration, monitoring, and troubleshooting of the entire SD-WAN fabric.
Why this is correct
vManage is the management plane component, offering a single dashboard for configuration templates, monitoring, and troubleshooting across the whole SD-WAN fabric. This satisfies the requirement for centralised operational visibility and control over all overlay devices.
- ✓
vSmart controllers are responsible for distributing routing information and policies to all WAN Edge routers in the overlay.
Why this is correct
vSmart controllers form the control plane, running OMP to distribute routing information and policies from the centralised policy engine to every WAN Edge router. This satisfies the requirement that overlay reachability and policy propagation are handled by dedicated controllers.
- ✓
vBond orchestrators authenticate WAN Edge routers and assist in NAT traversal for establishing tunnels.
Why this is correct
vBond orchestrators perform initial authentication of WAN Edge routers and coordinate NAT traversal, enabling edges behind NAT to discover each other and build tunnels. This satisfies the requirement for a rendezvous and authentication service in the SD-WAN overlay.
- ✗
vSmart controllers are responsible for NAT traversal and public IP discovery for WAN Edge routers behind NAT.
Why it's wrong here
NAT traversal and public IP discovery are handled by the WAN Edge routers themselves via STUN and IPsec, not by vSmart. vSmart's role is control-plane policy and OMP route distribution. It is tempting because vSmart is a central controller, but it does not process data-plane NAT.
- ✗
vManage distributes OMP routes to vEdge routers to populate the overlay routing table.
Why it's wrong here
vManage handles management-plane functions such as configuration templates and monitoring; OMP route distribution to WAN Edge routers is performed by vSmart controllers, which form the control plane. vManage is tempting because it is the central dashboard, but it never populates the overlay routing table.
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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.