CCNA Network Operations Questions

DNS round robin distributes traffic across multiple IP addresses, but it does not provide a single, always-reachable IP address for a single server. If the server's NIC fails, DNS round robin would still direct traffic to the failed IP, causing downtime.

RADIUS encrypts only the password in the authentication process, not the entire session, whereas the question requires encryption of the entire authentication process.

LDAP is primarily a directory access protocol for querying and modifying directory services, not a full AAA protocol. It does not natively support accounting or encrypt the entire authentication process; encryption is typically added via LDAPS, but it lacks the integrated AAA framework required for network device access management.

Kerberos is a ticket-based authentication protocol that does not natively provide centralized accounting for network device access, nor does it encrypt the entire authentication process (only the ticket exchange is encrypted). It is designed for single sign-on in a domain environment, not for AAA of network devices.

Downloading firmware before verifying its compatibility and stability in a lab could lead to deploying faulty firmware, causing network outages. The first step should be testing in a lab to ensure minimal downtime.

In this question, the administrator must first test the new firmware in a lab to ensure compatibility and stability before any production changes. Backing up the current configuration and firmware image is important but should occur after testing and before the actual upgrade, not as the first step.

Notifying users before testing the firmware in a lab could lead to unnecessary downtime if the firmware fails testing, and it does not address the primary goal of ensuring minimal downtime through validation.

Immediately blocking the port is an extreme reaction that disrupts connectivity without first diagnosing the cause. Best practices prioritize investigation over reactive measures to avoid unnecessary downtime.

Rebooting the switch is a disruptive action that should not be the first step for a bandwidth utilization alert, as it does not address the root cause and may interrupt legitimate traffic without resolving the issue.

Increasing bandwidth without investigating the cause of the alert does not address the underlying issue and may lead to cost increases or mask a security incident.

Setting a threshold of 0 (emergency) would only capture messages with severity 0, missing critical (2) and alert (1) messages. The question requires capturing critical and higher, which includes levels 0, 1, and 2, so the threshold must be 2.

Setting a threshold of 1 (alert) would capture only messages with severity 0 and 1, excluding critical (2) messages, which the administrator wants to include.

Setting the threshold to 3 (error) would capture messages with severity 3 and higher (0-3), which includes 'error' messages but excludes 'critical' (2) and higher severity messages like 'alert' (1) and 'emergency' (0). The requirement is to capture 'critical' and higher, so the threshold must be 2.

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.

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.

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.

SNMP polling requires the NMS to initiate requests, but the question asks for immediate notification when an interface goes down. Polling at regular intervals cannot provide instant notification; traps are needed for unsolicited alerts.

Syslog forwards log messages, not SNMP traps. The question specifically asks for immediate notification via SNMP, which requires trap configuration, not syslog.

An access control list (ACL) controls which NMS can poll the router, but it does not enable the router to send unsolicited SNMP traps. The question asks for immediate notification when an interface goes down, which requires trap generation, not polling.

Syslog is used for logging and event messages, not for real-time bandwidth monitoring. It does not provide polling-based utilization data.

NetFlow is designed for traffic flow analysis and capacity planning, not real-time bandwidth utilization monitoring on a router interface. It provides aggregated flow data with some delay, whereas SNMP polling offers immediate interface counters.

CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol) is a Layer 2 protocol used to discover directly connected Cisco devices and their capabilities, not for monitoring real-time bandwidth utilization on a router interface.

Rolling back to the previous switch is not appropriate because the faulty switch has already been replaced with a working one; rolling back would reintroduce the fault and disrupt operations.

Notifying users of the change is not a step performed after the replacement is complete; it should be done before the change to inform users of potential downtime. The question asks for the step after replacement, which is updating documentation.

The change request should be submitted and approved before the replacement, not after. The question states the replacement is already complete, so submitting a change request afterward violates the policy's requirement for prior approval.

SNMP is used for network management and monitoring, not for time synchronization. It does not synchronize clocks across devices.

FTP is used for file transfer, not time synchronization. It cannot synchronize clocks across network devices.

HTTP is used for transferring web content, not for synchronizing time across network devices. It lacks the precision and protocol mechanisms needed for accurate time synchronization.

DNS resolves domain names to IP addresses, but does not assign IP addresses to devices. The question specifically asks for a protocol that automatically assigns IP addresses, which is DHCP's function.

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) is used to resolve IP addresses to MAC addresses, not to automatically assign IP addresses to devices.

ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol) is used for error reporting and diagnostic functions (e.g., ping, traceroute), not for automatic IP address assignment.

An AAA server handles authentication, authorization, and accounting for network access, not centralized management, auto-discovery, configuration management, or performance monitoring of network devices.

A SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) system focuses on security event collection, correlation, and alerting, not on network device auto-discovery, configuration management, or performance monitoring.

A DHCP server assigns IP addresses and network configuration parameters to clients; it does not provide centralized management, monitoring, auto-discovery, or configuration management of network devices.

Telnet transmits data, including credentials, in plaintext, so it does not provide encryption for remote terminal sessions, which is required by the question.

SNMP is used for network monitoring and management of device configurations, not for establishing remote terminal sessions. It does not provide an interactive command-line interface for routers and switches.

HTTP is not encrypted and is used for web traffic, not for remote terminal sessions to manage routers and switches.

SNMPv1 does not support encryption or authentication; it uses community strings in plaintext, so it cannot provide the required security for data origin authentication and encryption.

SNMPv2c uses community strings for authentication, which are transmitted in plaintext, and does not provide encryption or data origin authentication, failing the question's requirements.

SNMPv2 (and SNMPv2c) lacks encryption and authentication; it only uses community strings in plaintext, which does not meet the requirement for encrypted and authenticated data origin.

TFTP lacks encryption and authentication, making it unsuitable for secure backups over the internet.

FTP transmits data in plaintext, including authentication credentials, and does not provide encryption or authentication for the backup files, failing the security requirements.

HTTP does not provide encryption or authentication by default; it transmits data in plaintext, making it unsuitable for secure backup of router configurations over the internet.

Performing a firmware upgrade does not directly address the goal of restoring a failed switch with minimal downtime; it is a proactive maintenance task unrelated to rapid replacement.

Monitoring CPU utilization helps identify performance issues but does not prepare for switch replacement or reduce downtime after a failure; it is a proactive monitoring task, not a recovery task.

Scheduling the upgrade during a maintenance window is important but should not be the first step; the firmware must first be tested in a lab to ensure compatibility and stability before any scheduling or user notification.

Backing up the current configuration is important but should occur after testing the firmware in a lab environment, as testing ensures the firmware is stable and compatible before any changes are made to production systems.

Notifying users of a planned outage is important but should occur after the firmware has been tested and validated in a lab environment to ensure the upgrade is safe and necessary.

A network baseline documents performance metrics over time, not the logical relationships between devices or VLAN trunking.

A wiring diagram shows physical cable paths and connector pinouts, not logical relationships like VLAN trunking between switches.

A physical topology diagram shows the physical layout and connections of cables and devices, not logical relationships like VLAN trunking between switches.