NETCONF, RESTCONF & YANG Practice Questions

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

1. Which URI root prefix and HTTP headers are standard when establishing a RESTCONF connection to retrieve JSON data from a Cisco IOS XE device?

   • Root: /restconf/data/, Header: Accept: application/yang-data+json
   • Root: /api/v1/, Header: Content-Type: text/xml
   • Root: /netconf/xml/, Header: Accept: application/netconf+json
   • Root: /dna/intent/api/, Header: Accept: application/yaml

2. In YANG modeling language, what keyword represents data that can be queried and modified by configuration commands (such as setting an IP address)?

   • config true
   • config false
   • operational
   • state

3. Which HTTP method is used in RESTCONF to create a new resource or execute an operation without replacing the target object entirely?

   • GET
   • POST
   • PUT
   • DELETE

4. Which standard NETCONF protocol operation retrieves running configuration data and device operational state data simultaneously?

   • <get-config>
   • <get>
   • <edit-config>
   • <copy-config>

5. Which HTTP header must be included in a RESTCONF request when sending a JSON payload to modify a configuration on a Cisco device?

   • Content-Type: application/yang-data+json
   • Accept: text/plain; charset=utf-8
   • Content-Type: application/xml-config
   • Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

6. Which REST API GET request endpoint path retrieves the inventory list of managed network devices from a Cisco DNA Center platform?

   • /dna/intent/api/v1/network-device
   • /api/v1/topology/switches
   • /restconf/data/cisco-dna-devices
   • /dna/system/api/v1/inventory

7. On a Cisco IOS XE device, which URI path prefix is used for RESTCONF configuration and operational data resources?

   • /api/v1/data/
   • /restconf/data/
   • /yang/config/
   • /dna/intent/api/

8. Which layer of the NETCONF protocol framework defines RPC wrapper messages such as <rpc> and <rpc-reply>?

   • Transport Protocol Layer
   • Operations Layer
   • Messages Layer
   • Content Layer

9. In YANG modeling, which statement structure defines a list of nodes that can exist multiple times in configuration data, requiring a key leaf for unique identification?

   • container
   • leaf
   • list
   • typedef

10. What key advantage does Model-Driven Streaming Telemetry provide over traditional SNMP polling?

    • It pushes data periodically or on change, in YANG-modeled form, with no polling.
    • SNMP processes telemetry faster than gRPC because it encodes data as ASN.1 BER.
    • Streaming telemetry runs over UDP port 161, the same port used for SNMP polls.
    • Telemetry sends unstructured CLI show output that operators read by eye.

11. Which RESTCONF HTTP operational request method maps directly to the NETCONF <edit-config> operation using target operation="create"?

    • GET
    • POST
    • DELETE
    • OPTIONS

12. In YANG data modeling, what node type holds a single primitive data value (such as an integer, string, or boolean) without child nodes?

    • container
    • leaf
    • list
    • module

13. What standard TCP port is assigned for secure NETCONF communication over SSH?

    • TCP 830
    • TCP 443
    • TCP 80
    • TCP 22

14. What is the relationship between YANG data models and XML/JSON payloads in network automation?

    • YANG is a programming language that compiles Python scripts into CLI binaries.
    • YANG defines the structure, types, and constraints; XML or JSON encodes the data.
    • YANG replaces SSH as the transport layer that NETCONF sessions run over.
    • YANG is a format used to render SNMP traps into syslog messages for a collector.

15. Which NETCONF operation retrieves running configuration data together with operational state data, optionally narrowed by a filter?

    • <get-config>
    • <get>
    • <edit-config>
    • <copy-config>

16. Which HTTP header must be included in a RESTCONF request to instruct the server to format the returned response body as JSON data?

    • Content-Type: application/yang-data+xml
    • Accept: application/yang-data+json
    • Authorization: Bearer Cisco123
    • User-Agent: Python-Requests/2.25

17. Why is Ansible categorized as an agentless configuration management platform, unlike Puppet or Chef?

    • Ansible requires a specialized hypervisor to be installed on each managed target.
    • It connects over standard protocols such as SSH or NETCONF, with no agent installed.
    • Ansible runs on Windows endpoints and pushes its agent to devices over SMB.
    • Ansible playbooks are compiled C++ binaries copied to each device and run there.

18. In NETCONF (RFC 6241), which standard datastore target represents the operational configuration currently active and executing on a network router?

    • <running/>
    • <candidate/>
    • <startup/>
    • <intended/>

19. On a RESTCONF server that implements the RFC 8527 datastore resources, which path reads the candidate configuration datastore?

    • /restconf/data?content=config
    • /restconf/ds/ietf-datastores:candidate
    • /restconf/operations/ietf-netconf:commit
    • /restconf/running/candidate-config

20. Which HTTP method mapping correctly correlates to standard RESTCONF CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations?

    • GET = Create, POST = Read, PUT = Delete, DELETE = Update
    • POST = Create, GET = Read, PATCH = Modify/Update, DELETE = Delete
    • PUT = Read, POST = Update, DELETE = Create, GET = Delete
    • FETCH = Read, SEND = Create, ALTER = Update, REMOVE = Delete

21. In the NETCONF protocol layer architecture, how are request messages and response payloads wrapped during client-server interactions?

    • Requests are sent as raw CSV records, and responses come back as JSON objects.
    • Requests are wrapped in <rpc> elements and replies in <rpc-reply> elements.
    • Both requests and replies are sent over UDP port 161 as SNMP variable bindings.
    • Requests use plain YAML documents with no enclosing tags around the operation.

22. In a YANG data model, what is the core structural difference between a leaf-list and a list?

    • A leaf-list holds single-type values; a list holds entries with child nodes, keyed in config.
    • A leaf-list is used only for write operations, while a list is used for read-only state.
    • A leaf-list stores binary image files, while a list stores string variables only.
    • They are identical and interchangeable; leaf-list is the older YANG 1.0 spelling.

23. Which configuration management tool utilizes an agentless, push-based operational model driven over SSH/NETCONF, contrasting with agent-based pull models?

    • Ansible
    • Puppet
    • Chef
    • SaltStack (in standard minion mode)

24. What API endpoint path is invoked on Cisco Catalyst Center to generate an authentication token using HTTP Basic Auth credentials?

    • /dna/system/api/v1/auth/token
    • /restconf/data/ietf-interfaces
    • /api/v1/login/session
    • /api/v1/certs/ssl

25. In RESTCONF (RFC 8040), what is the key functional difference between the PUT and PATCH HTTP methods when modifying resource configurations?

    • PUT creates new log entries in the datastore, while PATCH deletes user accounts.
    • PUT replaces the whole target resource; PATCH merges only the fields it sends.
    • PUT is a read-only method, while PATCH is the write method for configuration.
    • PUT requires XML encoding, while PATCH requires plaintext YAML in the body.

26. What is the default TCP transport layer protocol and port reserved for standard NETCONF communications?

    • HTTP over TCP Port 80
    • SSH over TCP Port 830
    • HTTPS over TCP Port 443
    • UDP Port 161

27. In a YANG data model, which node statement defines a complex structural container that organizes child data nodes into a logical hierarchy, but contains no actual data value itself?

    • leaf
    • leaf-list
    • container
    • typedef