300-435 Question 38
Single answerAs a network engineer, you are tasked with automating configuration changes across multiple Cisco devices in your enterprise network. You decide to use an API to retrieve the current device configurations and apply updates. Which API and protocol combination is most suitable for achieving this task in an automated and programmatic way?
- A
RESTCONF with JSON payloads
- B
NETCONF with XML payloads
- C
SNMP for both retrieval and configuration
- D
Telnet with CLI scripting
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
NETCONF, combined with XML payloads, is specifically designed to handle network configuration in a programmatic and automated manner. It supports features like candidate configuration, rollback, and integration with YANG data models, making it the most suitable choice for automating configuration changes across Cisco devices.
- A. Incorrect.
RESTCONF is a good choice for automation and programmatic access; however, NETCONF is more suitable for configuration management due to its ability to handle structured data models like YANG.
- B. Correct.
NETCONF with XML payloads is the best option for this task because it is designed specifically for configuration management. It supports transactional changes, validation, and integration with data models like YANG.
- C. Incorrect.
SNMP is traditionally used for monitoring and retrieval of information, but it is not suitable for comprehensive configuration management tasks.
- D. Incorrect.
Telnet with CLI scripting is not a modern or secure approach for automation. It lacks structured data handling and transactional support, making it unsuitable for programmatic configuration management.