This N10-009 practice question tests your understanding of network operations. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 administrator is configuring a new switch and needs to ensure that log messages are sent to a remote syslog server with a severity level of 'warning' (4) or higher. Which severity level should be set as the trap level on the switch?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
4 (warning)
Option B is correct because setting the trap level to 4 (warning) on a Cisco switch using the 'logging trap 4' command ensures that syslog messages with a severity of warning (4) and higher (i.e., emergency, alert, critical, error, and warning) are forwarded to the remote syslog server. The severity levels are defined in RFC 5424, where lower numbers indicate higher priority, so level 4 includes all messages from 0 through 4.
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.
✗
3 (error)
Why it's wrong here
Setting trap level to 3 captures severity 0-3 (emergency through error), which does not include warning (4).
✓
4 (warning)
Why this is correct
A trap level of 4 includes all messages with severity 0 through 4, which covers emergency, alert, critical, error, and warning.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
5 (notice)
Why it's wrong here
Level 5 captures severity 0-5, which includes notice messages that are less severe than warning, resulting in more logs than required.
✗
7 (debug)
Why it's wrong here
Level 7 captures all messages, including debug (7), which is too verbose and not what the administrator wants.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that setting the trap level to the exact severity number (e.g., 4) means only that severity is sent, when in fact it sends that level and all higher-priority (lower-number) levels.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Cisco IOS uses the 'logging trap' command to define the highest severity level (lowest number) of messages sent to a syslog server; for example, 'logging trap 4' sends all messages from severity 0 (emergencies) through 4 (warnings). The syslog protocol (RFC 5424) defines eight severity levels: 0=emergency, 1=alert, 2=critical, 3=error, 4=warning, 5=notice, 6=informational, 7=debug. In real-world scenarios, setting the trap level too low (e.g., 3) might miss important warning events like interface flapping or high CPU utilization, while setting it too high (e.g., 5) could flood the syslog server with less critical notices.
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 practitioner preparing for the N10-009 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
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: 4 (warning) — Option B is correct because setting the trap level to 4 (warning) on a Cisco switch using the 'logging trap 4' command ensures that syslog messages with a severity of warning (4) and higher (i.e., emergency, alert, critical, error, and warning) are forwarded to the remote syslog server. The severity levels are defined in RFC 5424, where lower numbers indicate higher priority, so level 4 includes all messages from 0 through 4.
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.
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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