This N10-009 practice question tests your understanding of network operations. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A network engineer plans to change the routing protocol configuration on a core router that will affect all branch connectivity. According to change management best practices, which step should the engineer perform BEFORE implementing the change?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a detailed rollback plan
Creating a detailed rollback plan is a fundamental change management best practice because it ensures that if the routing protocol reconfiguration (e.g., switching from EIGRP to OSPF or modifying redistribution) causes connectivity loss to all branches, the engineer can revert to the previous configuration quickly and safely. Without a rollback plan, a failed change could result in prolonged network downtime while troubleshooting from scratch, violating the principle of minimizing business impact. This step is performed before implementation to predefine the exact commands or backup configuration needed to restore the original routing state.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Implement the change during business hours to ensure staff availability
Why it's wrong here
Changes should typically be implemented during maintenance windows outside business hours to minimize disruption.
✓
Create a detailed rollback plan
Why this is correct
A rollback plan ensures that the change can be safely reversed if something goes wrong, a key part of change management.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Notify all users after the change is complete
Why it's wrong here
Users should be notified before the change, not after, to set expectations and allow for planned downtime.
✗
Test the change directly on the production router
Why it's wrong here
Changes should be tested in a lab environment first; testing on production can cause outages.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'notify users after the change' with a valid communication step, but change management requires prior notification and approval, not post-change notification.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a core router running OSPF, a rollback plan might include pre-staging the current OSPF process configuration (e.g., 'show run | section router ospf') and having a script to reload the saved config via 'copy startup-config running-config' or using configuration replace (e.g., 'configure replace flash:pre-change-config'). Real-world scenarios often involve route redistribution between OSPF and BGP, where a misconfigured metric or route map can cause a routing blackhole; a rollback plan with a pre-verified backup config ensures rapid recovery without manual re-entry of complex commands.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this N10-009 question in full detail.
Network Operations — This question tests Network Operations — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a detailed rollback plan — Creating a detailed rollback plan is a fundamental change management best practice because it ensures that if the routing protocol reconfiguration (e.g., switching from EIGRP to OSPF or modifying redistribution) causes connectivity loss to all branches, the engineer can revert to the previous configuration quickly and safely. Without a rollback plan, a failed change could result in prolonged network downtime while troubleshooting from scratch, violating the principle of minimizing business impact. This step is performed before implementation to predefine the exact commands or backup configuration needed to restore the original routing state.
What should I do if I get this N10-009 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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