Question 455 of 464
N10-009 Network Operations Practice Question
A network administrator needs to be notified immediately when a critical switch interface goes down. Which SNMP feature should be configured?
⚠ Common exam trap
The N10-009 exam often tests the distinction between traps and informs, where candidates mistakenly choose informs thinking they are more reliable for critical alerts, but the question emphasizes 'immediately notified,' making the unacknowledged, low-latency trap the correct choice.
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
✓
Traps
B is correct because SNMP traps are unsolicited messages sent from an SNMP agent to the network management system (NMS) to immediately notify the administrator of a critical event, such as a switch interface going down. Unlike polling, which requires the NMS to periodically request status information, traps provide real-time, event-driven alerts without delay, ensuring the administrator is notified as soon as the interface state changes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Polling
Why it's wrong here
Polling involves the network management station periodically querying devices for their status and data. While it collects comprehensive information over time, its inherent periodic nature means there is a delay between an event occurring and the next scheduled poll detecting it. This reactive, pull-based method cannot provide the immediate, real-time notification required for critical events like an interface failure, as the management station must wait for its next query cycle.
When this WOULD be correct
When the question asks for a method to regularly collect interface status or performance data at scheduled intervals, such as 'Which SNMP feature should be used to monitor interface utilization every 5 minutes?'
- ✓
Traps
Why this is correct
SNMP Traps are unsolicited, event-driven messages sent from a network device (agent) to a management station (manager) when a significant event occurs. These notifications provide immediate alerting without the management station needing to actively request information. This push mechanism is crucial for critical incidents, such as an interface going down, ensuring prompt awareness and response from network administrators.
- ✗
Informs
Why it's wrong here
SNMP Informs are also event-driven notifications sent by an agent to a manager, similar to traps. However, a key distinction is that Informs require an acknowledgment from the receiving management station, ensuring delivery confirmation. While this provides greater reliability, it introduces additional overhead and is typically used for more critical, less frequent events where delivery assurance is paramount, making traps the more common and simpler choice for basic, immediate alerting.
When this WOULD be correct
Informs would be correct when the question specifies a need for guaranteed delivery with acknowledgment, such as 'A network administrator requires confirmation that the SNMP manager received the alert for a non-critical event where reliability is more important than speed.'
- ✗
Set
Why it's wrong here
The SNMP Set operation is a command initiated by the management station to modify configuration parameters or operational states on a network device. Unlike notification mechanisms, Set is an active request to change a value, such as enabling an interface or altering a routing metric. It is designed solely for configuration management and control, not for receiving alerts or event notifications from the device.
When this WOULD be correct
An SNMP Set would be correct in a scenario where the administrator needs to remotely reconfigure a switch interface (e.g., disable a port or change VLAN assignment) via SNMP, not to receive notifications.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The N10-009 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓TrapsCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
SNMP Traps are unsolicited, event-driven messages sent from a network device (agent) to a management station (manager) when a significant event occurs. These notifications provide immediate alerting without the management station needing to actively request information. This push mechanism is crucial for critical incidents, such as an interface going down, ensuring prompt awareness and response from network administrators.
✗PollingWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Polling requires the NMS to periodically query the device, which does not provide immediate notification when an interface goes down; it only detects changes at the next poll interval.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When the question asks for a method to regularly collect interface status or performance data at scheduled intervals, such as 'Which SNMP feature should be used to monitor interface utilization every 5 minutes?'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse polling with traps because both are used for monitoring, but they don't realize polling is reactive and not suitable for immediate alerts.
✗InformsWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Informs require acknowledgment from the SNMP manager, which introduces delay and potential for lost notifications if the manager is unreachable, making them unsuitable for immediate notification of critical interface down events.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
Informs would be correct when the question specifies a need for guaranteed delivery with acknowledgment, such as 'A network administrator requires confirmation that the SNMP manager received the alert for a non-critical event where reliability is more important than speed.'
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse informs with traps, thinking that the acknowledgment feature of informs makes them more reliable for critical alerts, not realizing that the lack of acknowledgment in traps allows faster, immediate notification without waiting for confirmation.
✗SetWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
SNMP Set is used to modify configuration on a managed device, not to send notifications. The question asks for immediate notification when an interface goes down, which requires an event-driven message from the agent to the manager, not a write operation.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
An SNMP Set would be correct in a scenario where the administrator needs to remotely reconfigure a switch interface (e.g., disable a port or change VLAN assignment) via SNMP, not to receive notifications.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse 'Set' with 'Trap' because both involve SNMP operations, or they might think 'Set' can be used to configure alert thresholds, but it does not generate notifications.
Analysis generated from the official N10-009blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This N10-009 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 N10-009 exam.
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