Cisco 300-415 Implementing SD-WAN Solutions (ENSDWI) Exam Dumps and Practice Test Questions Set 4 Q46-60
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Question 46
Which SD-WAN protocol ensures secure exchange of routing, policy, and VPN information between vSmart controllers and vEdge routers?
A) BGP
B) OSPF
C) OMP
D) EIGRP
Answer: C) OMP
Explanation:
BGP, or Border Gateway Protocol, is traditionally used to exchange routing information between autonomous systems. In SD-WAN, BGP may be configured for underlay routing or connecting to external networks, but it does not carry overlay-specific routes, business intent policies, or VPN assignments between vSmart controllers and vEdge routers. BGP focuses on IP reachability across networks rather than providing the centralized intelligence, security, or policy distribution required by SD-WAN. Although BGP can coexist with SD-WAN to integrate overlay and underlay routes, it is not the primary protocol for secure control-plane communications within the overlay network.
OSPF, or Open Shortest Path First, is a link-state routing protocol used for internal routing within an autonomous system. OSPF is suitable for underlay IP connectivity, allowing devices to reach each other across WAN links. However, OSPF does not handle overlay route propagation, VPN segmentation, or distribution of business policies. Its functionality is limited to underlay path computation, link-state advertisement, and network convergence. OSPF does not provide secure channels for transmitting sensitive overlay control-plane information, making it unsuitable as the main SD-WAN control protocol.
OMP, or Overlay Management Protocol, is the dedicated control-plane protocol in Cisco SD-WAN that carries overlay routes, VPN information, and business intent policies between vSmart controllers and vEdge routers. OMP ensures that all devices have a consistent view of the overlay network, including routing tables, VPN assignments, application-aware policies, and encryption keys. It operates over secure DTLS or TLS channels to provide authentication, confidentiality, and integrity for control-plane communication. OMP integrates with SLA monitoring, dynamic path selection, and application-aware routing to optimize traffic delivery while enforcing business intent. By centralizing control-plane intelligence in vSmart controllers and distributing it via OMP, SD-WAN achieves scalability, consistent policy enforcement, and secure route propagation across distributed sites. OMP also enables efficient route updates, overlay segmentation, and key distribution for secure IPsec tunnels. Without OMP, SD-WAN devices would lack a secure, centralized mechanism to share routing and policy information, resulting in inconsistent policy application and degraded performance.
EIGRP, or Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol, is a distance-vector routing protocol used in some enterprise networks. While EIGRP may be deployed for underlay connectivity, it does not carry overlay-specific routing information, VPN assignments, or business intent policies. EIGRP lacks secure control-plane communication capabilities and centralized policy distribution, making it unsuitable as the SD-WAN overlay routing protocol.
The correct choice is OMP because it ensures secure exchange of routing, VPN, and business intent policies between vSmart controllers and vEdge routers. By providing secure, encrypted control-plane communication and centralized overlay intelligence, OMP enables consistent routing, scalable policy enforcement, and high-performance application delivery across the SD-WAN overlay. It forms the backbone of the control-plane architecture, ensuring reliability, security, and operational efficiency for enterprise SD-WAN deployments.
Question 47
Which SD-WAN component is responsible for monitoring WAN performance and providing alerts to administrators?
A) vEdge Router
B) vManage NMS
C) vBond Orchestrator
D) vSmart Controller
Answer: B) vManage NMS
Explanation:
vEdge Router is the data plane device responsible for forwarding traffic, enforcing policies, and maintaining encrypted tunnels. While vEdge generates telemetry and collects performance data for WAN links and application traffic, it does not provide centralized monitoring or alerting capabilities. Administrators rely on a management platform to aggregate telemetry from multiple vEdge routers and provide actionable insights. vEdge executes policies locally but does not serve as the central monitoring tool for network-wide visibility.
vManage NMS is the centralized management and orchestration system in SD-WAN that provides monitoring, visibility, and operational dashboards for administrators. It collects telemetry data from all vEdge routers, displaying WAN link utilization, application performance, device status, and overlay health metrics. vManage can generate alerts when performance thresholds, such as SLA violations or WAN link degradation, are detected. Administrators can configure notifications, define reporting intervals, and analyze historical trends to proactively manage network performance. vManage also integrates with SLA-based Performance Monitoring and Dynamic Path Selection to enable automated decision-making and traffic optimization. By centralizing monitoring and alerting, vManage simplifies operations, ensures SLA compliance, and provides insights necessary for troubleshooting, capacity planning, and optimizing user experience. It is a critical tool for operational efficiency, offering visibility into the entire SD-WAN overlay rather than relying on individual device metrics alone.
vBond Orchestrator authenticates devices during onboarding and establishes trust relationships for secure connectivity. While vBond ensures that devices can join the overlay safely, it does not perform network monitoring or provide alerts regarding WAN performance. Its function is focused on initial trust establishment and secure discovery of controllers.
vSmart Controller manages the control plane, distributing routing information, encryption keys, and business policies. While it enforces policies and propagates routes, it does not provide monitoring dashboards or generate alerts for administrators. vSmart relies on vManage to visualize network health, detect anomalies, and notify operators of SLA violations or WAN issues.
The correct choice is vManage NMS because it provides centralized monitoring, visibility, and alerts for WAN performance. By aggregating telemetry, displaying operational dashboards, and integrating with performance monitoring features, vManage enables administrators to proactively manage the SD-WAN network, optimize application delivery, and maintain SLA compliance. It is the central tool for operational oversight and network management, supporting both real-time decision-making and historical analysis.
Question 48
Which SD-WAN feature classifies and prioritizes application traffic based on business requirements?
A) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
B) VPN Segmentation
C) Application-Aware Routing
D) Dynamic Path Selection
Answer: C) Application-Aware Routing
Explanation:
SLA-based Performance Monitoring measures link quality metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss to determine whether WAN links meet predefined service-level objectives. While it provides the data required for optimizing traffic paths and maintaining performance, SLA monitoring does not classify traffic or assign priority to applications. Its purpose is informational, giving administrators and SD-WAN features like Dynamic Path Selection the intelligence needed to make routing decisions.
VPN Segmentation isolates traffic into multiple logical networks for security, operational separation, and policy enforcement. While segmentation ensures different departments or applications have independent policies and security boundaries, it does not classify applications or prioritize traffic based on business requirements. Segmentation supports policy enforcement and isolation but lacks the intelligence to optimize routing based on application importance.
Application-Aware Routing (AAR) identifies and classifies application traffic across the SD-WAN overlay and directs it according to business priorities. Administrators can define which applications are critical, which should be prioritized during congestion, and which can tolerate delays. AAR uses deep packet inspection (DPI) and integrates with SLA monitoring to ensure that business-critical applications follow optimal paths and maintain high performance. It works in conjunction with Dynamic Path Selection to steer traffic over preferred WAN links, enforce bandwidth allocation, and maintain predictable application delivery. By classifying traffic according to business intent and directing it appropriately, AAR ensures that critical services like ERP, VoIP, or video conferencing maintain quality even in degraded network conditions, aligning network behavior with organizational priorities.
Dynamic Path Selection evaluates multiple WAN links in real time to select the best path for traffic based on performance metrics. While DPS can influence which paths traffic takes, it does not inherently classify applications or assign priority based on business requirements. DPS operates on performance metrics and collaborates with Application-Aware Routing to optimize the delivery of high-priority applications.
The correct choice is Application-Aware Routing because it classifies and prioritizes application traffic based on business requirements. By integrating with SLA monitoring, business intent policies, and Dynamic Path Selection, AAR ensures critical applications maintain high performance, receive priority across WAN links, and align with organizational goals. It is essential for delivering predictable, optimized application experiences in enterprise SD-WAN deployments.
Question 49
Which SD-WAN component is primarily responsible for enforcing policies and forwarding traffic at branch sites?
A) vManage NMS
B) vBond Orchestrator
C) vEdge Router
D) vSmart Controller
Answer: C) vEdge Router
Explanation:
vManage NMS provides centralized management, network monitoring, and orchestration capabilities. It allows administrators to define business intent policies, configure devices, deploy software updates, and monitor network health. However, vManage does not forward traffic or enforce policies at the branch level. Its role is operational and administrative, relying on other components to apply the policies and make routing decisions. vManage ensures consistency across the network, but actual execution of policies and data-plane operations occurs elsewhere.
vBond Orchestrator facilitates secure onboarding of devices, authentication, and initial trust establishment. It assists devices in discovering vSmart controllers and ensures secure connectivity during the initial connection process. While essential for establishing trust and security, vBond does not enforce policies or forward data-plane traffic at branch sites. Its responsibility is limited to authentication, NAT traversal, and providing controller discovery information during onboarding.
vEdge Router is the data-plane device deployed at branch sites, data centers, or cloud locations. It is responsible for forwarding traffic, enforcing policies, applying quality-of-service rules, maintaining encrypted tunnels, and implementing business intent policies received from vSmart controllers. vEdge routers classify traffic based on application type, route traffic according to performance metrics, and enforce VPN segmentation and security policies locally. They are the operational heart of SD-WAN at the branch level, executing all control-plane decisions made centrally by vSmart controllers. vEdge routers handle encrypted communication, monitor SLA performance, and dynamically select paths when WAN links fail or degrade. Without vEdge routers, policies defined in vManage and distributed via vSmart would not be applied, and traffic would not be forwarded optimally across the network. Their role is essential for operational performance, business continuity, and ensuring SLA compliance at the edge.
vSmart Controller manages the control plane, distributing overlay routes, encryption keys, and business intent policies. It ensures consistent route propagation and policy enforcement, but does not directly handle forwarding or enforce policies at branch sites. vSmart provides the intelligence that vEdge routers execute, centralizing the control plane while leaving the data plane to the vEdge. This separation allows SD-WAN to scale efficiently and ensures consistent policy application across thousands of sites.
The correct choice is vEdge Router because it enforces policies, forwards traffic, and implements business intent at branch sites. By handling traffic locally and applying centrally defined policies, vEdge routers maintain performance, reliability, and security for end-user applications. They are crucial for executing dynamic path selection, SLA compliance, application-aware routing, and VPN segmentation, ensuring that the SD-WAN network operates efficiently and predictably across distributed enterprise sites.
Question 50
Which SD-WAN feature uses real-time WAN metrics to select the optimal path for application traffic?
A) VPN Segmentation
B) Dynamic Path Selection
C) Application-Aware Routing
D) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
Answer: B) Dynamic Path Selection
Explanation:
VPN Segmentation divides traffic into isolated virtual networks to enforce security, operational separation, and policy control. Segmentation ensures that traffic from different departments or applications can be managed independently, but it does not select WAN paths based on real-time performance metrics. Its primary purpose is logical isolation and independent policy enforcement rather than optimizing routing for application performance.
Dynamic Path Selection (DPS) continuously evaluates multiple WAN links by monitoring real-time metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. It compares these metrics against predefined SLA thresholds and reroutes traffic over the best-performing link to ensure optimal delivery. DPS integrates with SLA monitoring and application-aware routing to prioritize business-critical applications, enforce policies, and maintain service levels. When a primary WAN link underperforms, DPS automatically selects an alternate path that meets SLA requirements, ensuring consistent application performance and availability. DPS also supports failback, rerouting traffic to the original path once performance is restored, enabling efficient utilization of multiple WAN connections while maintaining high reliability. It reduces the need for manual intervention and ensures that traffic is dynamically optimized based on actual network conditions. DPS is critical for multi-link WAN deployments, providing resilience, application continuity, and predictable performance for end users.
Application-Aware Routing classifies and prioritizes applications based on business intent and importance. While AAR determines which traffic should receive priority and how it should be treated, it does not independently reroute traffic based on real-time WAN performance. AAR relies on metrics provided by SLA monitoring and the path-selection logic of DPS to direct traffic appropriately. Its focus is traffic classification, prioritization, and policy alignment rather than dynamic path optimization.
SLA-based Performance Monitoring measures link quality parameters such as latency, jitter, and packet loss to determine if WAN links meet service-level objectives. While SLA monitoring provides essential metrics for decision-making, it does not automatically select paths for traffic. Instead, it informs DPS and AAR by supplying the data necessary for automated path selection and traffic prioritization. Its function is measurement, reporting, and alerting rather than executing path selection decisions.
The correct choice is Dynamic Path Selection because it uses real-time WAN metrics to select the optimal path for application traffic. By evaluating link performance, integrating SLA metrics, and considering business intent policies, DPS ensures that traffic follows the best path to maintain application performance, availability, and reliability. This feature is fundamental for SD-WAN deployments that require dynamic optimization, high availability, and alignment with organizational priorities, enabling automated, intelligent traffic steering across multiple WAN connections.
Question 51
Which SD-WAN component manages routing, policy distribution, and encryption key propagation across the overlay?
A) vManage NMS
B) vEdge Router
C) vSmart Controller
D) vBond Orchestrator
Answer: C) vSmart Controller
Explanation:
vManage NMS is the centralized management system for SD-WAN that provides policy creation, configuration deployment, monitoring, and reporting. While it defines business intent policies, oversees device configuration, and displays network telemetry, it does not directly manage routing, distribute policies at the control plane, or propagate encryption keys. Its role is operational, focusing on configuration management and visibility rather than execution of control-plane intelligence.
vEdge Router is the data-plane device responsible for forwarding traffic, enforcing policies received from controllers, and establishing secure tunnels with other SD-WAN devices. While vEdge routers apply routing and security policies, they rely on vSmart controllers for receiving control-plane instructions, encryption keys, and overlay routing information. vEdge does not manage or propagate these elements independently across the network.
vSmart Controller is the SD-WAN control-plane component responsible for managing overlay routing, distributing business intent policies, and propagating encryption keys to all vEdge routers. It ensures that all devices maintain a consistent view of the overlay, including VPN assignments, routing tables, and security policies. vSmart integrates with SLA monitoring, application-aware routing, and dynamic path selection to enforce policies and optimize traffic delivery. By centralizing control-plane intelligence, vSmart enables scalable SD-WAN deployment, secure communication, consistent policy enforcement, and predictable application performance. Its role in distributing encryption keys ensures that IPsec tunnels are securely established and maintained across the network, preventing unauthorized access and ensuring data confidentiality. vSmart separates the control plane from the data plane, allowing vEdge routers to focus on traffic forwarding while executing centrally defined decisions, which increases efficiency and scalability in large SD-WAN environments.
vBond Orchestrator facilitates device authentication, initial onboarding, and secure discovery of controllers. While it is essential for establishing trust and ensuring that devices can join the overlay securely, it does not manage routing, distribute policies, or propagate encryption keys across the network. Its function is limited to authentication, secure controller discovery, and enabling NAT traversal during initial deployment.
The correct choice is vSmart Controller because it manages routing, policy distribution, and encryption key propagation across the SD-WAN overlay. By centralizing control-plane operations, vSmart ensures consistent policy enforcement, secure communication, efficient route distribution, and predictable application performance. Its role is critical for scalable, reliable, and secure SD-WAN deployments, enabling vEdge routers to forward traffic effectively while adhering to centrally defined business intent and security policies.
Question 52
Which SD-WAN feature measures latency, jitter, and packet loss to maintain service-level agreements for applications?
A) Dynamic Path Selection
B) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
C) Application-Aware Routing
D) VPN Segmentation
Answer: B) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
Explanation:
Dynamic Path Selection continuously evaluates WAN links in real time to determine the optimal path for application traffic. DPS relies on performance metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss to make intelligent routing decisions. However, DPS does not independently measure these metrics; it requires accurate telemetry from SLA-based Performance Monitoring to evaluate link quality. Without SLA monitoring, DPS would lack the necessary visibility to reroute traffic effectively or maintain application performance. DPS is an execution mechanism for traffic optimization, whereas SLA-based monitoring provides the data required to guide that execution.
SLA-based Performance Monitoring is specifically designed to measure latency, jitter, and packet loss on WAN links. It provides continuous real-time monitoring to ensure that links meet predefined service-level agreements (SLAs) for applications. Administrators can configure thresholds for these metrics to determine acceptable performance levels, and alerts are generated when thresholds are breached. SLA monitoring also supports historical reporting and trend analysis, allowing network teams to identify recurring issues, plan capacity, and ensure predictable application performance. This feature ensures that critical applications maintain quality of service by providing timely insights into WAN link conditions. SLA monitoring is tightly integrated with Dynamic Path Selection and Application-Aware Routing, providing the intelligence needed for automated decision-making and business-aligned traffic prioritization. By continuously assessing performance, SLA monitoring enables proactive troubleshooting and helps maintain end-user satisfaction.
Application-Aware Routing classifies and prioritizes traffic based on application type and business intent policies. While AAR can leverage performance metrics to steer traffic, it does not directly measure latency, jitter, or packet loss. Its role is to enforce policy decisions and ensure that critical applications receive priority treatment, relying on SLA-based monitoring for real-time performance data. AAR focuses on traffic classification and policy alignment rather than direct measurement of network performance.
VPN Segmentation isolates traffic into logical networks for security, operational separation, and policy enforcement. While segmentation may allow different performance thresholds or SLA policies for each VPN, it does not measure latency, jitter, or packet loss. Its primary function is organizational separation and security enforcement, rather than continuous monitoring or performance assessment.
The correct choice is SLA-based Performance Monitoring because it measures latency, jitter, and packet loss to maintain service-level agreements for applications. By providing continuous monitoring, threshold-based alerts, historical reporting, and integration with Dynamic Path Selection and Application-Aware Routing, SLA monitoring ensures predictable application performance and proactive network management. It is the foundation for automated path optimization, traffic prioritization, and SLA compliance in SD-WAN deployments, allowing enterprises to deliver reliable, high-quality user experiences across complex WAN environments.
Question 53
Which SD-WAN component enables administrators to create policies, deploy configurations, and monitor network health?
A) vEdge Router
B) vSmart Controller
C) vManage NMS
D) vBond Orchestrator
Answer: C) vManage NMS
Explanation:
vEdge Router is the data-plane device responsible for forwarding traffic, enforcing policies, and maintaining secure IPsec tunnels. While vEdge routers implement configurations and collect telemetry, they do not provide a centralized interface for policy creation, configuration deployment, or network monitoring. Their function is operational execution at the branch level, applying decisions received from control-plane components and sending performance data upstream. vEdge routers rely on centralized management for orchestration, visibility, and policy consistency.
vSmart Controller manages the control plane, distributing routing information, business policies, and encryption keys to vEdge routers. While it enforces policies and ensures secure overlay communication, vSmart does not provide a graphical interface or operational dashboards for administrators. It focuses on control-plane intelligence, leaving centralized administration and monitoring to the management system.
vManage NMS is the centralized management and orchestration system in SD-WAN. It provides administrators with the ability to create business intent policies, deploy configurations to multiple devices simultaneously, monitor WAN link performance, and visualize overlay network health. vManage collects telemetry from vEdge routers, displays network statistics, generates alerts for SLA violations, and supports troubleshooting through detailed dashboards. Administrators can define SLA thresholds, configure VPN segmentation, and manage application-aware routing policies centrally through vManage. By consolidating monitoring, configuration, and policy enforcement, vManage simplifies operational tasks, ensures consistency across the network, and enables scalable SD-WAN deployments. vManage integrates with vSmart controllers for policy distribution and with vBond for secure onboarding, completing the operational management framework for SD-WAN.
vBond Orchestrator is responsible for authenticating devices, establishing trust, and facilitating secure onboarding. While it ensures that devices can join the overlay securely and traverse NATs, vBond does not provide network monitoring, configuration deployment, or policy creation capabilities. Its role is limited to initial trust establishment and enabling devices to communicate with controllers.
The correct choice is vManage NMS because it enables administrators to create policies, deploy configurations, and monitor network health. By centralizing these operational functions, vManage ensures consistent policy enforcement, visibility into network performance, and simplified management for large-scale SD-WAN deployments. It integrates with vSmart for control-plane enforcement and with vBond for secure onboarding, making it the operational backbone for SD-WAN management.
Question 54
Which SD-WAN feature steers traffic based on application type and business intent policies?
A) Dynamic Path Selection
B) Application-Aware Routing
C) VPN Segmentation
D) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
Answer: B) Application-Aware Routing
Explanation:
Dynamic Path Selection evaluates multiple WAN links in real time to select the optimal path for traffic based on metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. While DPS ensures that applications follow high-quality paths, it does not classify traffic based on application type or enforce business intent policies. DPS acts on performance data to reroute traffic but relies on other features, such as Application-Aware Routing, to determine which applications should receive priority treatment.
Application-Aware Routing (AAR) identifies and classifies application traffic traversing the SD-WAN overlay. It directs traffic according to predefined business intent policies, ensuring that critical applications, such as VoIP, ERP, or video conferencing, receive priority over less important traffic. AAR uses deep packet inspection (DPI) and integrates with SLA monitoring to assess network conditions and enforce routing decisions that align with organizational priorities. By steering traffic based on application type and business intent, AAR ensures predictable performance, optimal bandwidth usage, and compliance with service-level objectives. It works in tandem with Dynamic Path Selection to route prioritized applications over the best-performing WAN links while maintaining policy enforcement. AAR provides granular control over traffic flows, enabling administrators to align network behavior with business goals and enhance user experience.
VPN Segmentation isolates traffic into separate logical networks for security, operational separation, and independent policy enforcement. While segmentation can facilitate traffic prioritization indirectly by separating business-critical traffic into different VPNs, it does not classify or steer applications based on type or business intent. Its primary function is logical separation, not application-aware traffic management.
SLA-based Performance Monitoring measures WAN link quality to detect latency, jitter, and packet loss. While these metrics are essential for traffic optimization and integration with DPS and AAR, SLA monitoring does not classify traffic or steer applications based on business intent. It provides the performance data required for other features to make informed decisions but does not perform the actual traffic steering function.
The correct choice is Application-Aware Routing because it steers traffic based on application type and business intent policies. By integrating with SLA monitoring and Dynamic Path Selection, AAR ensures that critical applications maintain high performance, follow optimized paths, and adhere to business priorities. It is a foundational SD-WAN feature for delivering predictable, policy-driven application performance, enhancing user experience, and aligning network behavior with organizational objectives.
Question 55
Which SD-WAN component provides secure initial device authentication and facilitates discovery of controllers?
A) vSmart Controller
B) vBond Orchestrator
C) vEdge Router
D) vManage NMS
Answer: B) vBond Orchestrator
Explanation:
vSmart Controller is responsible for distributing routing information, business intent policies, and encryption keys to vEdge routers. While vSmart plays a critical role in overlay routing and policy enforcement, it does not handle initial authentication or device discovery. Its function begins once a device has been authenticated and onboarded to the SD-WAN overlay. vSmart focuses on control-plane intelligence and secure propagation of overlay information but relies on other components to establish trust initially.
vBond Orchestrator acts as the initial trust anchor for SD-WAN devices. It authenticates new devices joining the network using certificates, ensuring that only authorized devices can become part of the overlay. vBond also facilitates discovery of vSmart controllers and vManage NMS, enabling secure initial communication between newly deployed devices and controllers. By handling authentication and controller discovery, vBond allows vEdge routers to securely obtain configuration, policy, and encryption key information from vSmart and vManage. Additionally, vBond assists with NAT traversal and ensures that devices deployed behind firewalls or in remote locations can securely connect to the SD-WAN overlay. This function is essential for scalable deployments, preventing unauthorized access, and maintaining network integrity. Without vBond, new devices would be unable to authenticate, discover controllers, or participate in the overlay securely.
vEdge Router is the data-plane device deployed at branch, data center, or cloud locations. While vEdge participates in the onboarding process by providing credentials and establishing secure tunnels, it does not act as a trust anchor or facilitate discovery of controllers for other devices. Its role is to forward traffic, enforce policies, and execute decisions received from controllers once onboarding is complete.
vManage NMS provides centralized management, monitoring, and orchestration. Administrators use vManage to define policies, deploy configurations, and monitor network health. While vManage interacts with devices post-onboarding and receives telemetry data, it does not perform initial authentication or facilitate secure controller discovery. Its role begins after devices have been successfully authenticated and securely connected to the overlay.
The correct choice is vBond Orchestrator because it provides secure initial device authentication and facilitates discovery of controllers. By serving as the trust anchor and enabling secure onboarding, vBond ensures that devices can join the overlay safely, establish communication with controllers, and participate in policy enforcement and traffic forwarding. Its function is foundational for SD-WAN security, scalability, and operational efficiency, making it an essential component of the overall architecture. vBond also supports NAT traversal, trust verification, and secure initial control-plane connectivity, ensuring that enterprise deployments can scale reliably and securely across distributed sites.
Question 56
Which SD-WAN feature provides logical separation of networks for security and operational purposes?
A) Dynamic Path Selection
B) VPN Segmentation
C) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
D) Application-Aware Routing
Answer: B) VPN Segmentation
Explanation:
Dynamic Path Selection continuously evaluates WAN links based on real-time metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. While DPS ensures optimal path selection and failover for application traffic, it does not provide logical separation or isolation of networks. Its primary role is traffic optimization and ensuring SLA compliance across multiple WAN links. DPS reroutes traffic dynamically based on performance, but it does not define independent routing policies or enforce security boundaries between different network segments.
VPN Segmentation allows the creation of multiple virtual networks within the SD-WAN overlay. Each VPN can have its own routing table, security policies, and access controls, enabling logical separation between departments, applications, or user groups. For example, traffic from finance can be isolated in one VPN, marketing in another, and guest or IoT traffic in a separate VPN. Segmentation ensures that security policies are applied independently and that traffic does not cross boundaries without authorization. VPN Segmentation also allows administrators to assign different service-level objectives, monitor performance per VPN, and enforce business intent policies without interference from other traffic types. This feature is essential for operational separation, regulatory compliance, and secure multi-tenant deployments. By isolating traffic and policies, VPN Segmentation supports predictable application performance, network security, and organizational control.
SLA-based Performance Monitoring measures link quality metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss to ensure WAN paths meet service-level agreements. While SLA monitoring provides telemetry that can influence path selection and routing decisions, it does not provide logical separation or independent routing policies for different traffic flows. Its focus is on measurement and reporting rather than network segmentation or operational isolation.
Application-Aware Routing identifies and classifies application traffic based on type and business intent. While AAR steers traffic and prioritizes critical applications, it does not inherently isolate traffic or provide separate routing policies. It complements VPN Segmentation by optimizing delivery for applications within isolated VPNs but does not create segmentation independently.
The correct choice is VPN Segmentation because it provides logical separation of networks for security and operational purposes. By isolating traffic, assigning independent policies, and enforcing access controls, VPN Segmentation enables secure, multi-tenant, and operationally efficient SD-WAN deployments. It ensures that business-critical traffic remains protected, that different departments or applications operate independently, and that network behavior aligns with organizational policies and regulatory requirements.
Question 57
Which SD-WAN component centralizes policy creation, device configuration, and network monitoring?
A) vEdge Router
B) vSmart Controller
C) vManage NMS
D) vBond Orchestrator
Answer: C) vManage NMS
Explanation:
vEdge Router is responsible for forwarding traffic, enforcing policies, and establishing encrypted tunnels. While it executes policies and collects telemetry data, it does not provide a centralized interface for creating policies, deploying configurations, or monitoring the entire network. Its role is operational execution at branch, data center, or cloud locations. vEdge routers rely on centralized management to ensure policy consistency, visibility, and orchestration across the overlay network.
vSmart Controller manages the control plane, distributing routing information, business intent policies, and encryption keys. While vSmart enforces policies and ensures consistent overlay routing, it does not provide a graphical interface or centralized operational dashboards for administrators. vSmart focuses on control-plane intelligence, leaving policy creation, configuration deployment, and network monitoring to the management system.
vManage NMS is the centralized management and orchestration system in Cisco SD-WAN. It allows administrators to create business intent policies, deploy configurations across multiple devices, monitor WAN link and application performance, and visualize network health in real time. vManage collects telemetry from vEdge routers, generates alerts for SLA violations, supports historical performance analysis, and provides tools for troubleshooting. Administrators can manage VPN segmentation, application-aware routing policies, SLA thresholds, and device software updates through vManage. By centralizing these functions, vManage simplifies operational tasks, ensures consistent policy application, and enables scalable SD-WAN deployment. It integrates with vSmart controllers to distribute policies and with vBond orchestrators for secure onboarding, forming a complete operational management ecosystem.
vBond Orchestrator facilitates device authentication, trust establishment, and secure controller discovery. While vBond is critical during initial device onboarding, it does not handle policy creation, configuration deployment, or network monitoring. Its role is limited to authentication and establishing trust before devices receive control-plane instructions and operational policies.
The correct choice is vManage NMS because it centralizes policy creation, device configuration, and network monitoring. By providing a unified management interface, operational dashboards, and real-time visibility, vManage ensures consistent policy enforcement, proactive network management, and efficient SD-WAN operations. It is essential for large-scale deployments, enabling administrators to maintain reliability, security, and performance across all sites in the overlay network.
Question 58
Which SD-WAN feature directs business-critical applications over the best-performing WAN links while deprioritizing less critical traffic?
A) Dynamic Path Selection
B) VPN Segmentation
C) SLA-based Performance Monitoring
D) Application-Aware Routing
Answer: D) Application-Aware Routing
Explanation:
Dynamic Path Selection continuously evaluates WAN link performance, such as latency, jitter, and packet loss, and reroutes traffic over the best path. While DPS ensures optimal utilization of WAN links, it does not independently classify traffic according to business priorities or determine which applications should receive preferential treatment. DPS relies on metrics to make path selection decisions but does not inherently differentiate between business-critical and non-critical applications. Its function is focused on link optimization and failover rather than aligning traffic with business intent policies.
VPN Segmentation provides logical separation of networks to enforce security, operational boundaries, and independent routing policies. Segmentation ensures that traffic from different departments or applications is isolated and policies can be applied independently. However, VPN Segmentation does not prioritize applications or direct critical traffic over the best-performing WAN links. It provides security and operational separation but lacks intelligence for traffic steering based on application importance or performance optimization.
SLA-based Performance Monitoring measures WAN link quality metrics such as latency, jitter, and packet loss. While SLA monitoring provides the data necessary to determine the quality of links and trigger alerts for performance violations, it does not classify traffic by application type or enforce business intent policies. SLA monitoring acts as a telemetry source, informing other features such as Dynamic Path Selection and Application-Aware Routing about current network conditions, but it does not implement application-specific routing or prioritization.
Application-Aware Routing identifies and classifies traffic based on application type and business intent policies defined by administrators. It directs critical applications, such as VoIP, ERP, or video conferencing, over the best-performing WAN links while deprioritizing less critical or non-business traffic. AAR leverages deep packet inspection (DPI) to recognize application signatures and integrates with SLA-based Performance Monitoring and Dynamic Path Selection to make informed routing decisions. By steering traffic according to business priorities, AAR ensures predictable application performance, optimal resource utilization, and adherence to organizational service-level objectives. It also supports policy enforcement by ensuring that critical applications maintain performance even under network congestion or WAN link degradation. AAR works in coordination with Dynamic Path Selection to dynamically adjust traffic paths based on real-time network conditions while maintaining alignment with business intent policies.
The correct choice is Application-Aware Routing because it directs business-critical applications over the best-performing WAN links while deprioritizing less critical traffic. By combining application classification, business intent policies, and integration with SLA monitoring and dynamic path selection, AAR ensures reliable, predictable, and policy-driven delivery of enterprise applications. It is essential for maintaining operational efficiency, optimizing WAN resources, and guaranteeing the performance of high-priority applications in SD-WAN deployments.
Question 59
Which SD-WAN component encrypts data traffic between branch sites using IPsec tunnels?
A) vSmart Controller
B) vBond Orchestrator
C) vEdge Router
D) vManage NMS
Answer: C) vEdge Router
Explanation:
vSmart Controller manages the control plane, distributing routing information, business intent policies, and encryption keys to vEdge routers. While vSmart provides the intelligence and keys required to secure data traffic, it does not perform actual data-plane encryption. vSmart’s function is centralized control-plane management, ensuring consistent routing, policy enforcement, and key propagation. Encryption of traffic occurs locally at the branch or site where vEdge routers operate.
vBond Orchestrator is responsible for initial device authentication, trust establishment, and controller discovery. While vBond ensures secure onboarding and enables devices to connect to the overlay, it does not encrypt data traffic or manage IPsec tunnels. Its function is limited to authentication and facilitating secure initial communication between devices and controllers. vBond does not participate in ongoing traffic encryption or forwarding.
vEdge Router is the SD-WAN data-plane device deployed at branch sites, data centers, or cloud locations. It establishes IPsec tunnels with other vEdge routers across the WAN overlay to encrypt all site-to-site traffic. vEdge routers use encryption keys distributed by vSmart controllers to ensure confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of data traversing public or private WAN links. They also enforce routing policies, application-aware prioritization, and VPN segmentation while securing traffic. By performing local encryption, vEdge routers protect enterprise data against interception and tampering, maintain compliance with security policies, and ensure secure end-to-end communication between sites. vEdge routers are critical for implementing secure communication because they execute the encryption algorithms and maintain tunnel endpoints directly where traffic enters and leaves the network.
vManage NMS provides centralized policy management, monitoring, and orchestration. While vManage interacts with vEdge routers and vSmart controllers for policy deployment and monitoring, it does not perform encryption of data traffic. Its role is operational, providing dashboards, configuration tools, and telemetry analysis rather than data-plane security functions.
The correct choice is vEdge Router because it encrypts data traffic between branch sites using IPsec tunnels. By handling encryption locally at the branch, vEdge ensures end-to-end confidentiality, integrity, and authenticity of enterprise traffic. It relies on encryption keys distributed by vSmart and integrates with policies, routing, and VPN segmentation to provide secure, policy-driven traffic forwarding across the SD-WAN overlay. vEdge is the cornerstone of secure data-plane operations in Cisco SD-WAN.
Question 60
Which SD-WAN component centralizes network visibility, monitoring, and operational dashboards for administrators?
A) vEdge Router
B) vSmart Controller
C) vManage NMS
D) vBond Orchestrator
Answer: C) vManage NMS
Explanation:
vEdge Router is a data-plane device responsible for forwarding traffic, enforcing policies, and maintaining encrypted tunnels. While it generates telemetry and performance data, it does not provide centralized visibility, operational dashboards, or monitoring capabilities for administrators. Its role is execution at the branch, data center, or cloud site, applying control-plane instructions and forwarding traffic efficiently. vEdge routers depend on centralized systems for analysis, alerting, and network-wide visibility.
vSmart Controller manages the control plane by distributing routing information, business policies, and encryption keys. It ensures consistency in overlay routing, policy enforcement, and encryption across vEdge routers. While vSmart plays a critical role in policy distribution, it does not provide dashboards, monitoring tools, or centralized operational visibility for administrators. Its focus is on intelligence and control-plane management, leaving operational monitoring to the management system.
vManage NMS is the centralized management and orchestration system that provides administrators with a single interface for network visibility, monitoring, and operational dashboards. It collects telemetry from all vEdge routers, displays WAN link utilization, application performance, device status, and overlay health. vManage can generate alerts for SLA violations, track historical performance, and support troubleshooting. Administrators can configure policies, manage VPN segmentation, deploy application-aware routing, and monitor SLA compliance across multiple sites from vManage. It integrates with vSmart for policy enforcement and with vBond for secure onboarding, completing the operational management framework. By consolidating monitoring, policy deployment, and visibility, vManage enables proactive network management, simplifies troubleshooting, and ensures consistent performance across the SD-WAN overlay.
vBond Orchestrator authenticates devices, establishes trust, and facilitates initial controller discovery. While essential for secure onboarding, vBond does not provide network monitoring, dashboards, or visibility into traffic and performance metrics. Its function is limited to authentication, trust establishment, and facilitating initial secure control-plane communication.
The correct choice is vManage NMS because it centralizes network visibility, monitoring, and operational dashboards for administrators. By aggregating telemetry, providing insights into link and application performance, generating alerts, and supporting configuration management, vManage ensures operational efficiency, SLA compliance, and proactive SD-WAN management. It is the cornerstone of network operations in Cisco SD-WAN deployments, enabling administrators to monitor, analyze, and optimize network behavior effectively.