Designing Cisco Network Service Architectures Exam

500 Questions and Answers

$19.99

The Designing Cisco Network Service Architectures (ARCH) Practice Exam is developed for professionals preparing for the Cisco 300-320 certification exam. This resource helps learners master the principles and techniques required to design scalable, secure, and highly available enterprise network architectures using Cisco’s proven methodologies.

This practice test replicates the structure and complexity of the official certification exam. Each question includes a detailed explanation to aid learning and provide clarity on best practices in advanced network design.

Topics Covered:

 

  • Enterprise campus and edge network design

  • Modular network architecture and scalability

  • Advanced routing design, including BGP and OSPF

  • VPN technologies and remote access design

  • High availability, redundancy, and load balancing

  • Data center integration and network virtualization

  • Security architecture and policy-driven design

Ideal for network engineers, infrastructure architects, and IT professionals, this practice exam is a reliable preparation tool to strengthen your ability to build complex and efficient Cisco-based network solutions. It supports deep understanding of core design elements while preparing you for real-world application and certification success.

Sample Questions and Answers

Which Cisco SD-WAN component is responsible for certificate-based authentication of devices?

A) vSmart
B) vManage
C) vBond
D) vEdge

Answer: C) vBond
Explanation: vBond authenticates devices via certificates and facilitates secure fabric membership.

What is the maximum number of VLANs supported by a traditional Ethernet switch?

A) 64
B) 128
C) 4096
D) 8192

Answer: C) 4096
Explanation: VLAN IDs range from 1 to 4094, limiting traditional VLAN scalability.

In QoS, which DSCP value is typically assigned to voice traffic for expedited forwarding?

A) 0
B) 10
C) 46
D) 48

Answer: C) 46
Explanation: DSCP EF (46) marks traffic for high-priority forwarding suitable for voice/video.

 

In Cisco ACI, what is the purpose of an Application Profile?

A) Define Layer 3 routing protocols
B) Group Endpoint Groups (EPGs) that represent application tiers
C) Assign VLAN IDs to endpoints
D) Control physical switch configurations

Answer: B) Group Endpoint Groups (EPGs) that represent application tiers
Explanation: Application Profiles logically group EPGs that correspond to application tiers like web, app, and database.

What is the primary benefit of Cisco SD-WAN’s Overlay Management Protocol (OMP)?

A) Encrypts all data plane traffic
B) Distributes routes, policies, and security information within the SD-WAN fabric
C) Handles physical interface configuration
D) Provides IP address assignment

Answer: B) Distributes routes, policies, and security information within the SD-WAN fabric
Explanation: OMP is a control plane protocol that manages routing, policies, and security between SD-WAN nodes.

Which Cisco technology supports zero-trust segmentation in enterprise networks?

A) Cisco TrustSec
B) Cisco FabricPath
C) Spanning Tree Protocol
D) HSRP

Answer: A) Cisco TrustSec
Explanation: TrustSec enforces identity-based segmentation using Security Group Tags (SGTs), enabling zero-trust models.

Which protocol does Cisco recommend for efficient overlay routing in large enterprise networks?

A) EIGRP
B) LISP
C) RIP
D) OSPF

Answer: B) LISP
Explanation: Locator/ID Separation Protocol (LISP) separates endpoint identity from location, enabling scalable overlays.

What is the primary role of a Cisco vBond orchestrator in an SD-WAN deployment?

A) Route traffic between branches
B) Authenticate and orchestrate connectivity of new SD-WAN devices
C) Enforce application policies
D) Monitor WAN performance

Answer: B) Authenticate and orchestrate connectivity of new SD-WAN devices
Explanation: vBond ensures devices are authenticated and securely onboarded to the SD-WAN fabric.

What Cisco feature allows dynamic endpoint policy enforcement across wired and wireless networks?

A) Cisco ISE
B) Cisco TrustSec
C) Cisco DNA Center
D) Cisco ACI

Answer: B) Cisco TrustSec
Explanation: TrustSec uses SGTs to enforce consistent security policies regardless of network access method.

In Cisco ACI, what is the main purpose of the Tenant object?

A) Isolate application resources and policies within the fabric
B) Connect data centers
C) Define physical switch parameters
D) Manage routing protocols

Answer: A) Isolate application resources and policies within the fabric
Explanation: Tenants provide logical separation and administrative domains within the ACI fabric.

What is the advantage of Cisco’s LISP in data center networks?

A) Supports IP multicast only
B) Allows endpoint mobility and flexible traffic steering
C) Replaces BGP in WAN networks
D) Enables direct physical device management

Answer: B) Allows endpoint mobility and flexible traffic steering
Explanation: LISP decouples endpoint IDs from routing locators, allowing mobility and optimized path control.

Which component in Cisco SD-WAN enforces data policies and forwards traffic?

A) vSmart controller
B) vManage server
C) vEdge router
D) vBond orchestrator

Answer: C) vEdge router
Explanation: vEdge routers reside at network edges, enforce policies, and forward user traffic.

What is a key difference between Cisco FabricPath and traditional Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)?

A) FabricPath disables Layer 2 multipathing
B) FabricPath enables multipathing and eliminates STP blocking ports
C) STP supports more VLANs than FabricPath
D) FabricPath is used only in WAN environments

Answer: B) FabricPath enables multipathing and eliminates STP blocking ports
Explanation: FabricPath improves scalability by allowing multipath Layer 2 forwarding without loops.

Which Cisco technology provides centralized network automation and assurance?

A) Cisco DNA Center
B) Cisco ASA
C) Cisco AnyConnect
D) Cisco Prime

Answer: A) Cisco DNA Center
Explanation: DNA Center automates device provisioning, policy enforcement, and network assurance.

What role does the Cisco vSmart controller play in SD-WAN?

A) Data plane forwarding
B) Centralized policy and route controller
C) DHCP server
D) User authentication

Answer: B) Centralized policy and route controller
Explanation: vSmart manages control plane functions, distributing routes and policies.

What is a primary reason to use VXLAN in Cisco data center designs?

A) Enable multipath Layer 2 overlay networks over Layer 3
B) Replace IP routing
C) Increase physical switch port speed
D) Provide WAN encryption

Answer: A) Enable multipath Layer 2 overlay networks over Layer 3
Explanation: VXLAN allows Layer 2 adjacency over Layer 3 networks, enhancing scalability.

Which Cisco protocol helps detect link failures quickly to improve routing convergence?

A) HSRP
B) BFD
C) STP
D) VRRP

Answer: B) BFD
Explanation: Bidirectional Forwarding Detection (BFD) rapidly detects link or path failures.

In Cisco SD-Access, what feature provides network segmentation based on user identity?

A) VLANs
B) Security Group Tags (SGTs)
C) IP ACLs
D) DHCP

Answer: B) Security Group Tags (SGTs)
Explanation: SGTs provide identity-based network segmentation and policy enforcement.

What Cisco SD-WAN component provides the GUI for device and policy management?

A) vSmart
B) vBond
C) vManage
D) vEdge

Answer: C) vManage
Explanation: vManage is the web-based centralized management portal for SD-WAN.

Which technology is best suited for segment routing in a large-scale network?

A) OSPF
B) MPLS Segment Routing (SR)
C) RIP
D) HSRP

Answer: B) MPLS Segment Routing (SR)
Explanation: MPLS SR simplifies traffic engineering by encoding paths as segments.

Which Cisco technology allows the extension of VLANs across multiple data centers?

A) OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization)
B) STP
C) VRRP
D) BGP

Answer: A) OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization)
Explanation: OTV extends Layer 2 VLANs across geographically dispersed data centers.

What is the purpose of Cisco’s Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI)?

A) Automate network provisioning based on application requirements
B) Provide VPN services
C) Manage IP address assignments
D) Monitor wireless clients

Answer: A) Automate network provisioning based on application requirements
Explanation: ACI provides policy-based automation to optimize network for applications.

In Cisco SD-WAN, what type of routing is primarily used between vEdge routers?

A) Static routing
B) OMP (Overlay Management Protocol)
C) RIP
D) EIGRP

Answer: B) OMP (Overlay Management Protocol)
Explanation: OMP handles routing and policy distribution between SD-WAN edge devices.

Which Cisco SD-WAN component issues certificates to devices?

A) vSmart
B) vManage
C) vBond
D) Certificate Authority (CA)

Answer: D) Certificate Authority (CA)
Explanation: The CA issues certificates for secure device authentication in SD-WAN.

What is the function of Cisco TrustSec’s Security Group Access Control Lists (SGACLs)?

A) Define Layer 2 VLAN membership
B) Enforce access policies based on Security Group Tags (SGTs)
C) Manage routing tables
D) Assign IP addresses

Answer: B) Enforce access policies based on Security Group Tags (SGTs)
Explanation: SGACLs control traffic flows by applying policies to SGT-labeled traffic.

Which Cisco protocol enables endpoint identity for microsegmentation?

A) LISP
B) SGT (Security Group Tag)
C) RIP
D) STP

Answer: B) SGT (Security Group Tag)
Explanation: SGTs tag endpoints with identity information used for policy enforcement.

What feature in Cisco SD-Access allows policy consistency across wired and wireless networks?

A) VLAN tagging
B) Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) integration
C) Static ACLs
D) DHCP relay

Answer: B) Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) integration
Explanation: ISE centralizes authentication and policy for consistent enforcement.

Which Cisco solution provides centralized management and assurance for intent-based networking?

A) Cisco DNA Center
B) Cisco AnyConnect
C) Cisco ASA
D) Cisco Prime

Answer: A) Cisco DNA Center
Explanation: DNA Center enables intent-based network management and analytics.

What does Cisco ACI use to identify endpoint groups within a tenant?

A) VLAN IDs
B) Endpoint Group (EPG) names
C) IP addresses
D) MAC addresses

Answer: B) Endpoint Group (EPG) names
Explanation: EPGs logically group endpoints for policy and communication within tenants.

What is the benefit of Cisco SD-WAN’s application-aware routing?

A) It encrypts all traffic automatically
B) It routes traffic based on real-time application performance metrics
C) It disables traditional routing protocols
D) It simplifies IP address management

Answer: B) It routes traffic based on real-time application performance metrics
Explanation: SD-WAN selects optimal paths based on latency, jitter, and packet loss.

Which protocol does Cisco recommend for large-scale multicast deployments?

A) IGMPv3 with PIM-SM
B) Static multicast routing
C) RIP
D) OSPF

Answer: A) IGMPv3 with PIM-SM
Explanation: IGMPv3 provides efficient group membership, and PIM Sparse Mode supports scalable multicast routing.

What is a common use case for Cisco Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV)?

A) Interconnecting geographically dispersed data centers at Layer 2
B) Routing Internet traffic
C) Managing wireless clients
D) VPN tunneling

Answer: A) Interconnecting geographically dispersed data centers at Layer 2
Explanation: OTV extends VLANs over Layer 3 networks between data centers.

Which Cisco component enables dynamic software updates and automation in enterprise networks?

A) Cisco DNA Center
B) Cisco ASA
C) Cisco AnyConnect
D) Cisco Prime

Answer: A) Cisco DNA Center
Explanation: DNA Center automates device provisioning, updates, and network policies.a

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