Cisco 200-301 Practice Test 13
Question 120
A multivendor campus wants a standards-based first-hop redundancy mechanism rather than relying on Cisco-proprietary HSRP. Which protocol is a direct fit?
- CDP
- Rapid PVST+
- VRRP
- LACP
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:VRRP is a standards-based first-hop redundancy protocol in which participating routers share a virtual gateway address and one master forwards for that identity under normal operation. It is appropriate for multivendor environments where Cisco-proprietary HSRP is not the desired dependency. Clients retain the virtual default-gateway IP through router failover, subject to convergence. The devices must support compatible VRRP versions, group configuration and network settings; standards compliance does not eliminate interoperability testing.
Incorrect Answers
A:Cisco Discovery Protocol advertises device identity and connection information between neighboring supported devices. It has no virtual default-gateway address election or failover mechanism for hosts. CDP can help identify the routers physically attached to a switch, but it cannot provide an interoperable first-hop redundancy service. The requirements call for a standardized protocol that coordinates ownership of a virtual IP rather than neighbor discovery messages.
B:Rapid PVST+ operates spanning-tree instances to control Layer 2 forwarding loops and selects bridge and port roles. It is not a first-hop redundancy mechanism that shares an IPv4 gateway between routers. Even if the root bridge is also a router, STP root status alone does not present a stable virtual default gateway for hosts. The multivendor requirement concerns a routing gateway protocol, not a Cisco-flavored Layer 2 loop-avoidance variant.
D:Link Aggregation Control Protocol groups compatible physical Ethernet interfaces into a logical bundle and negotiates member status. It can improve link-level redundancy or bandwidth between devices, but it does not elect a virtual IP gateway that survives router failure. The requested feature operates at the hosts' first-hop Layer 3 boundary, while LACP handles Layer 2 aggregation. Even a perfectly formed Port-channel would not substitute for VRRP's shared gateway identity.
Question 121
A Local-mode AP tunnels centrally switched client traffic to the WLC and uses a single AP management VLAN at the wiring closet. What switchport design commonly connects this AP in a basic centrally switched WLAN?
- A separate physical cable from the AP for each SSID
- A Layer 3 routed interface with no Ethernet switching or access VLAN
- A normal access switchport in the AP management VLAN
- A static EtherChannel formed by a single AP with two WLC ports
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:A centrally switched Local-mode access point commonly attaches to an ordinary switch access port in the VLAN used for AP management and control connectivity. The AP establishes CAPWAP communication with its reachable controller and transports centrally switched client traffic through that tunnel, so separate local VLAN tags for every SSID are not inherently required on the uplink. Verify platform-specific SSID/policy mapping and AP discovery, because controller designs can vary.
Incorrect Answers
A:A WLAN access point can advertise multiple SSIDs over the same radio interfaces; each SSID does not require its own physical Ethernet cable to a controller. Centrally switched traffic in Local mode is carried in the applicable CAPWAP data path over the AP's existing wired connection. Installing additional cables per SSID would not establish the requested management-VLAN design and could introduce unnecessary cabling without changing the forwarding model.
B:A Layer 3 routed port is useful where the network intentionally terminates an IP link rather than extending a management VLAN to the endpoint. The basic Cisco lightweight-AP deployment described uses its switchport for Layer 2 attachment to the AP management VLAN. Making that port routed with no access VLAN would not provide the expected access-segment service. The AP can still reach a remote controller over routed infrastructure beyond its local gateway.
D:An EtherChannel combines multiple compatible physical links into one logical interface, normally requiring at least two member connections that support the aggregation protocol. The scenario describes one basic AP management connection, not a multipath device-to-controller Ethernet bundle. A single AP cannot create the proposed static channel by treating two remote WLC ports as substitutes for its single access switchport. Configure the access VLAN and controller reachability instead.
Question 122
Interface Gi0/1 is configured as 10.50.8.1/24 but is administratively shut down. The routing table is missing the expected connected 10.50.8.0/24 entry. Which explanation is most consistent?
- Connected routes always remain active despite the interface being shut down
- A connected route appears only if the router receives an OSPF LSA
- The interface is not operational, so its connected route is not installed
- The default route has higher administrative distance and removes every connected route
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:The interface configuration includes 10.50.8.1/24, but its administrative shutdown prevents Gi0/1 from becoming an operational Layer 3 forwarding path. IOS therefore has no active connected 10.50.8.0/24 route to install through that interface. Confirm the configuration and physical state with interface-status commands and issue no shutdown only when the link is intended to be in service. Other failures may remain, but this alone explains the absent route.
Incorrect Answers
A:A directly connected IPv4 route is ordinarily associated with an operational routed interface and its configured prefix. If the interface is administratively shut down, it cannot carry packets and the connected subnet is typically not installed as a usable route. Claiming connected routes always stay active ignores this dependency. A configuration line can remain in the startup or running configuration even when no working route for that link appears in the forwarding table.
B:OSPF LSAs describe link-state routing information exchanged among OSPF peers and can contribute learned routes. They are not required for IOS to recognize a prefix configured on its own up/up Layer 3 interface. A connected route comes from the local interface's address and operational status, not from remote advertisement. The missing subnet in this case correlates directly with the administratively disabled Gi0/1, making that the first issue to correct.
D:Administrative distance helps choose between competing routes to an identical prefix when their sources are eligible. A default 0.0.0.0/0 is a different, far less-specific destination and cannot delete all directly connected prefixes simply by having a different distance. Longest-prefix matching would favor a connected /24 over a default if the interface were operational. The actual cause of missing connected reachability here is the shut-down interface, not a preference conflict.
Question 123
A microservice image must start quickly and reuse the host operating-system kernel rather than boot a full guest OS. Which execution model fits?
- An operating-system container packages application processes while sharing a kernel
- Launch a new full virtual machine and boot its guest kernel for each short-lived service
- Create separate router VRFs as a substitute for process isolation and a container runtime
- Build a new bare-metal host image whenever one microservice instance starts
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:An operating-system container bundles an application and its user-space dependencies while sharing the host kernel through isolation and resource-control facilities. That usually starts faster than booting a separate guest operating system and fits short-lived microservices. Containers are not identical to full virtual machines: kernel compatibility, privileges, image integrity and runtime security still matter. The requirement explicitly prefers reusing the host kernel, which is the distinguishing container behavior.
Incorrect Answers
B:A virtual machine presents virtual hardware and normally boots its own guest operating-system kernel. That offers stronger operating-system separation and can run a different guest kernel family, but it typically involves more boot work than launching a container process. The scenario wants a rapidly started instance using the existing host kernel, so a full guest VM is unnecessary. VMs remain appropriate when complete guest OS isolation is a design requirement.
C:A VRF separates IP routing tables and can isolate tenant or service forwarding domains on routers and capable switches. It does not package a microservice's executable files, libraries, filesystem view or processes. A container runtime, rather than a network VRF, provides the application execution boundary and shared-host-kernel arrangement requested. VRFs may coexist with container networks, but the two mechanisms solve different types of isolation.
D:Building or reinstalling a bare-metal host image for every service start would be slow and operationally expensive, particularly with many transient replicas. Bare metal provides the underlying platform, not the lightweight per-process packaging mechanism. The task asks to start a microservice quickly while reusing the kernel already running on that host. Containers can create isolated processes without rebooting or reprovisioning the physical server for each instance.
Question 124
A new enterprise WLAN uses WPA3-Personal. Which authentication mechanism is associated with WPA3-Personal instead of the WPA2-Personal PSK handshake model?
- Cleartext Telnet login
- An OSPF designated-router election
- Simultaneous Authentication of Equals (SAE)
- An unauthenticated TFTP request
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:WPA3-Personal uses Simultaneous Authentication of Equals, a password-authenticated key exchange that replaces the older WPA2-Personal PSK four-way password model for establishing authentication. SAE provides stronger resistance to offline dictionary attacks when configured with suitable passphrases and compatible clients. The access point and station must both negotiate WPA3-Personal successfully; interoperability and transition-mode settings should be assessed separately. The question asks for the authentication mechanism, not the cipher alone.
Incorrect Answers
A:Telnet is an unencrypted terminal-access protocol and does not perform the password-authenticated key exchange used by WPA3 wireless clients. It cannot replace 802.11 station authentication merely by sharing the broad word 'login'. Even if an operator used Telnet for legacy switch administration, that would be an unrelated management-plane security weakness. The question concerns the wireless link's personal authentication handshake, not a remote CLI session to network equipment.
B:An OSPF designated-router election coordinates database synchronization on certain multiaccess IP networks. It operates among routers in a link-state routing domain and has nothing to do with establishing a wireless station's encrypted association. WPA3-Personal uses a client/access-point authentication exchange designed to resist offline password guessing. Selecting an OSPF DR cannot establish the pairwise keying material needed to protect Wi-Fi frames.
D:TFTP is a simple file-transfer service, commonly operating over UDP, that lacks built-in authentication and encryption. It is not a wireless personal-authentication handshake and does not derive session keys for an associated 802.11 station. An unauthenticated TFTP request might be useful only in a controlled provisioning lab, not for protecting a staff WLAN. The WPA3-Personal exchange must take place between the client and the access point using SAE.
Question 125
An infrastructure team models cloud networks and associated resources declaratively, reviews a proposed execution plan and then applies it. Which tool aligns with this lifecycle?
- A syslog collector
- TFTP alone
- Terraform
- LLDP
Explanation
Correct Answer
C:Terraform expresses intended infrastructure in declarative configuration, evaluates current and desired state, and produces a plan of proposed resource changes before an authorized apply step. That matches the workflow of modeling cloud networks, reviewing impact and then creating or modifying resources through providers. Engineers should inspect plans for unexpected deletions, manage state securely and use versioned modules. Terraform does not eliminate the need to verify provider behavior or cloud access permissions.
Incorrect Answers
A:A syslog collector receives and stores event messages from devices or applications. Those records can help observe a deployment after it occurs, but syslog is not the declarative infrastructure tool that compares a configuration plan with desired cloud resources. It lacks the stated lifecycle of modeling resource dependencies, presenting a change preview and applying infrastructure state. Use monitoring alongside an IaC workflow, not as a substitute for that workflow.
B:TFTP is a lightweight file-transfer protocol and can move certain configuration files in simple labs. File transfer alone does not model declarative cloud network resources, their dependencies or a reviewable execution plan. Sending a text file to a server is different from calculating which objects must be created, changed or destroyed. The described resource lifecycle calls for an infrastructure-as-code tool with plan and apply operations.
D:LLDP advertises link-neighbor identity and port information on directly connected network equipment. It can assist physical topology inventory but neither provisions cloud resources nor computes a declarative execution plan. The automation requirement involves a resource state graph and an explicit reviewed apply action. Discovering a nearby switch with LLDP is a different network-operations problem and cannot implement the described infrastructure lifecycle by itself.
Question 126
A switch reports an interface-down incident to its central monitoring server without waiting for the next regular poll. What SNMP mechanism best matches?
- An SNMP trap notification
- An NTP client association
- A DHCPREQUEST message
- A TFTP GET operation
Explanation
Correct Answer
A:An SNMP trap is an unsolicited notification that an agent can send to a configured management system when a relevant event occurs. It fits an interface-down alert that should arrive without waiting for the monitoring station's next periodic query. Delivery reliability and configuration vary, so operators may also use SNMP informs or polling for confirmation. The distinguishing feature here is event-driven reporting from the switch to the monitoring server.
Incorrect Answers
B:An NTP client association lets a switch synchronize its clock with a time source, which improves timestamps and event correlation. It is not an asynchronous device-status notification to the monitoring platform. A switch could have accurate NTP time yet still require SNMP, syslog or another event channel for a link-down alert. The request is about how an event reaches the manager before the next poll, not clock quality.
C:A DHCPREQUEST message is part of DHCP address-lease negotiation and is sent by a client to request or renew IP configuration. It does not represent a switch interface-failure event and would normally be directed toward DHCP infrastructure, not an SNMP management collector. A host may need DHCP to obtain connectivity, but DHCP message types are not the mechanism for notifying network operations of link state changes.
D:TFTP GET is a file-read request used by simple transfer clients to retrieve data from a TFTP server. It is not a push notification from a switch's SNMP agent about an interface failure. File-transfer operations may support backup or provisioning, but they do not replace event-driven monitoring. The stem specifically contrasts an immediate alert with periodic polling, which points to a notification mechanism such as an SNMP trap.
Question 127
R1 maintains the global IPv4 routing table and a separate VRF called BLUE. Interface Vlan200 belongs to VRF BLUE. Both tables have a reachable route for 10.80.7.0/24, but their next hops differ. No route leaking or policy-based routing is configured. A packet for 10.80.7.11 enters on Vlan200. Which forwarding table and next hop does R1 normally use?
- The global route, because global routing-table entries always take precedence over VRF routes
- Both VRF and global next hops through ECMP, because their destination prefixes are identical
- Neither route, because overlapping prefixes in different VRFs cannot coexist on one router
- The route for 10.80.7.0/24 inside VRF BLUE and its associated next hop
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:Because Vlan200 is assigned to VRF BLUE, the router normally performs the destination lookup for an arriving packet in BLUE's IPv4 forwarding table. Its 10.80.7.0/24 entry and associated next hop are selected instead of the identical global-table prefix. This is the purpose of VRF isolation: independent routing decisions for different contexts. Route leaking, policy-based routing or other explicit exceptions could alter this behavior, but the question rules them out.
Incorrect Answers
A:The global IPv4 table does not automatically override routing information for traffic that arrives in an interface assigned to a separate VRF. VRF BLUE maintains its own forwarding context, and the ingress interface chooses that context before the destination lookup. Even identical destination prefixes in global and BLUE tables can legitimately refer to different next hops. Using the global route would ignore the explicit segmentation and lack of route leaking in this scenario.
B:Equal-cost multipath compares eligible paths inside the same applicable routing context; it does not automatically merge global and VRF route tables. The packet entering Vlan200 belongs to VRF BLUE, so only BLUE's eligible routes are considered absent route leaking or policy. Different next hops in different VRFs may both be valid independently. Combining them for ECMP would defeat routing separation and is not caused merely by matching prefix text.
C:Overlapping destination prefixes are a central use case for separate virtual routing and forwarding tables. Tenants can use the same addresses without the router automatically combining their forwarding state. A VRF-specific ingress selects a forwarding context before route lookup, so an overlap with the global table is not inherently a configuration conflict. Provided BLUE has a valid matching route, the packet can be forwarded normally in that isolated table.
Question 128
A new router has no reachable IP management address because an access configuration error disconnected its uplink. An engineer is physically beside the device. Which access method normally remains available for local recovery?
- SSH through the disconnected uplink
- HTTPS over an Internet link that is down
- LLDP to the disconnected router
- A console cable or supported local console interface
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:A console cable or supported local serial/USB console interface provides an out-of-band administrative path that does not depend on the router's routed IP management interface. A technician physically beside the device can inspect and correct configuration even when the Ethernet uplink and SSH/HTTPS services are unreachable. Proper console authentication and access controls still apply. The local connection is therefore the practical recovery route for this particular uplink and addressing failure.
Incorrect Answers
A:SSH uses a functioning IP path to a configured and reachable management service. If the uplink failure leaves the router without reachable management addressing, a remote SSH client cannot establish the required network session. SSH would be useful after restoring the interface and proper routing, but not as the immediate local recovery channel for this outage. The engineer is physically next to the equipment, which enables an alternative independent of the failed uplink.
B:HTTPS-based management also requires reachability of a web service over an operational IP path. The scenario says the Internet and management uplink are down, so a browser cannot reach the router through that route. HTTPS encrypts web administration when connectivity exists; it does not bypass physical disconnection. Local console access is valuable because it can remain usable even when management VLANs, ACLs or IP addresses are misconfigured.
C:LLDP advertises information about directly connected devices at Layer 2; it is not an interactive device-configuration or login service. Running a discovery protocol cannot open an administrative command session when the uplink is disconnected. LLDP may help understand cable topology once ports are functioning, but it does not provide a repair interface for a physically present technician. The requirement is hands-on recovery, which calls for a console connection.
Question 129
A switch receives a frame from MAC 00aa.00bb.00cc on Gi1/0/4. What learning action does it perform?
- Learn destination MAC 00aa.00bb.00cc without examining the arriving frame’s source field
- Send a gratuitous ARP request to register the source MAC in the table of every routed VLAN
- Derive the MAC entry from the host IPv4 subnet mask instead of the receiving port
- Associate the source MAC address with the ingress port and its VLAN
Explanation
Correct Answer
D:The switch examines the incoming Ethernet source MAC and learns an entry associating 00aa.00bb.00cc with Gi1/0/4 in the frame's VLAN. Later frames destined for that MAC within the same VLAN can be forwarded toward the learned port until the entry ages or moves. The VLAN scope matters because forwarding databases may contain separate entries per VLAN. This is the ordinary source-MAC learning behavior on a Layer 2 switch.
Incorrect Answers
A:Ethernet switches learn from the source MAC address of a frame received on an ingress interface, not by treating the frame's destination address as the host being learned on that port. The destination lookup determines where to forward or flood the current frame, but its own MAC may be known from previous observations. The stated MAC belongs to the sender, so selecting destination-only learning would misunderstand how a switch builds its forwarding table.
B:ARP resolves IPv4 addresses to link-layer addresses inside a local broadcast domain. A learning switch does not need to send gratuitous ARP requests across routed VLANs merely to record a frame's source MAC. It updates its Layer 2 forwarding database directly from the Ethernet header and ingress port. Gratuitous ARP has distinct address-announcement uses and cannot distribute switch MAC-table entries to every VLAN as claimed.
C:An IPv4 subnet mask separates network and host portions of a Layer 3 address; it does not identify the physical ingress port that most recently supplied a MAC address. Ethernet switching learns link-layer source identities independently of IPv4 addressing and can operate for non-IP frames. Associating a MAC solely from a host mask would not tell the switch where to deliver future unicast frames to that source device.
Question 130
In a controller GUI, an administrator selects WPA2-Personal/PSK for a staff SSID. Which TWO security settings need to be consistent between the configured WLAN and the authorized client? Choose TWO.
- The chosen WPA2-Personal key-management/security mode
- An identical OSPF router ID on the AP and laptop
- The correct pre-shared passphrase configured for that WLAN
- A matching syslog severity threshold on the client
- A native VLAN of exactly 1 on every AP Ethernet port
Explanation
Correct Answers
A:The client and WLAN must agree on the WPA2-Personal authentication and key-management security mode to negotiate the intended protected association. Choosing a different security profile, such as open access or an enterprise EAP configuration, changes the handshake expectations and can prevent joining. The SSID name alone is not proof of matching security. Both ends need compatible cipher and personal-mode settings as part of a successful WPA2 connection.
C:WPA2-Personal derives shared authentication and encryption key material from the correctly configured passphrase and SSID context. A client with a different personal key cannot complete a valid protected association even if it sees the WLAN and chooses WPA2. The authorized workstation must therefore use the passphrase provisioned for this staff SSID. Maintain appropriate secret handling and consider stronger WPA3 mechanisms where all devices support them.
Incorrect Answers
B:An OSPF router ID identifies a routing-protocol participant and is relevant to router neighbor relationships, not station authentication to a Wi-Fi access point. A laptop joining WPA2-Personal does not need to run OSPF or copy a router identifier from the AP. The security negotiation is performed through the wireless client and WLAN configuration. Matching an OSPF router ID would neither establish the correct passphrase nor provide the required key-management mode.
D:Syslog severity thresholds specify which diagnostic events are sent or stored, with more severe messages assigned lower numerical levels. They do not participate in the 802.11 WPA2 personal authentication handshake between a client and access point. Different syslog settings can affect troubleshooting visibility, but not whether a station's shared secret matches the configured WLAN. The required matching settings concern security mode and passphrase, not device logging policy.
E:An AP uplink's native VLAN influences handling of untagged Ethernet frames in a trunked wired design; it is not universally required to be VLAN 1 for a WPA2-Personal WLAN. Many secure designs deliberately use other management and native VLAN choices. The user's station authentication depends on its wireless security profile and shared credential. Forcing VLAN 1 on every AP switchport could create unrelated segmentation problems without fixing a mismatched passphrase.