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5.0 AI, Network Operations and Management

Network Management Approaches Practice Questions

Updated for CCNA v2.0

Device-based, cloud-based, controller-based, automation-based, and infrastructure as code management.

CCNA v2.0 objective 5.3 · objective map

Author-reviewed by LabFabric · 25 September 2026 · Report a content issue

One solved question, so you can see how these are marked

An engineer connects to each switch over SSH and enters commands one device at a time. Which management approach is this?

Device-based management

Device-based management configures and monitors each device individually, usually through the CLI. It gives full control but does not scale well and invites configuration drift.

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All 7 Network Management Approaches questions in this set

Answers and explanations appear when you work through the set above.

  1. A branch access point and switch are managed from a vendor-hosted web dashboard, with no on-premises management server. Which approach is this?

    • Device-based management
    • Cloud-based management
    • Console management
    • Out-of-band management only

  2. Cisco Catalyst Center pushes a policy to many campus devices through its southbound interfaces and exposes a northbound REST API. Which approach does this describe?

    • Controller-based management
    • Device-based management
    • Manual per-port management
    • Peer-to-peer management

  3. A team runs scripts and playbooks that call device APIs to make the same change on hundreds of switches. Which approach is this?

    • Automation-based management
    • Device-based management using a console cable
    • Cloud-based management
    • Passive monitoring

  4. Which practice best describes infrastructure as code (IaC)?

    • Storing the desired network state in version-controlled definition files that tools apply automatically
    • Printing configurations and storing them in a locked cabinet
    • Writing IOS commands in a notepad file for reference
    • Using a graphical wizard to configure each device one by one

  5. What is a main benefit of keeping network definitions in a version control system such as Git?

    • Changes are tracked, reviewable, and can be rolled back to a known version
    • Devices no longer need IP addresses
    • Configurations are automatically encrypted on the devices
    • It replaces the need to test changes

  6. Which drawback most affects a purely device-based management approach as a network grows?

    • Inconsistent configurations and slow, error-prone changes across many devices
    • The devices stop accepting SSH connections
    • It requires every device to run a hypervisor
    • It cannot display show command output

  7. A controller becomes unreachable in a controller-based campus network. Which statement is generally true about the devices?

    • They typically keep forwarding traffic using their existing configuration, but central changes and some services are unavailable
    • They immediately erase their configurations
    • They stop forwarding all traffic
    • They automatically become the new controller