JN0-106 User Interfaces Practice Question
Which TWO commands can be used to view the current operational state of an interface? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse 'show configuration interfaces' (which shows the intended configuration) with commands that show the actual operational state, leading them to select option C instead of the correct operational commands.
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
✓
show interfaces extensive
The 'show interfaces extensive' command displays detailed operational state information, including current status, errors, and statistics. The 'show interfaces terse' command provides a concise operational view showing interface names, administrative status, link status, and protocol families. Both commands query the current operational state of interfaces from the Junos OS kernel.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
show interfaces extensive
Why this is correct
This is correct because 'show interfaces extensive' reads the live runtime state from the device and displays the physical link status, administrative status, media type, speed, MTU, and detailed error and discard counters. Unlike configuration output, it shows what the interface is actually doing right now, including carrier transitions, alarms, and other operational details. It is more verbose than 'show interfaces terse', but both commands query current operational data, so it is one of the two valid choices.
- ✗
show log
Why it's wrong here
'show log' is wrong because it outputs syslog-style messages written by system processes, not a direct query of current interface operational state. Log messages may be delayed, filtered by severity, or even absent for an interface issue if no event triggered a log entry. While logs can help diagnose past link flaps or errors, they cannot reliably report the real-time admin/operational status of an interface, so they are supplementary diagnostics, not an operational state viewer.
- ✗
show configuration interfaces
Why it's wrong here
'show configuration interfaces' is wrong because it displays the configured interface hierarchy from the configuration database, including logical units, IP addresses, and settings such as 'disable'. That represents the administrator's intended state after a commit, not the current runtime state; an interface can be configured up with valid addressing yet still be operationally down due to a missing cable, no carrier, or hardware failure. Since it cannot report live link state or interface counters, it does not fulfill the requirement to view current operation.
- ✓
show interfaces terse
Why this is correct
'show interfaces terse' is correct because it provides a concise operational snapshot of every interface, with columns for interface name, admin status, link status, and configured/allocated addresses. It reads the same live kernel and hardware state as 'show interfaces extensive', so it reliably shows whether each interface is administratively and operationally up or down. The output is compact and easy to scan, which makes it the other valid command for quickly viewing current operation, even though it lacks detailed statistics.
- ✗
show route
Why it's wrong here
'show route' is wrong because it displays the routing table, which lists active routes, protocol preferences, next-hop addresses, and route flags. Although a route learned through an interface can be an indirect clue that the interface is functioning, the command does not directly report the interface's link state, speed, errors, or protocol status. Routes might be stale, aggregated, or reachable through indirect next hops, so this command is not designed to answer 'what is the current operation of this interface?'
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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