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Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability Syllabus

The Automation and Programmability syllabus for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) in full: 4 chapters, 12 topics and 19 sub-topics, every one listed below, plus 50 Automation and Programmability flashcards with answers.

4Chapters
12Topics
19Sub-topics
50Flashcards

Automation and Programmability syllabus: all 4 chapters

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics.

  1. Automation Impact on Networking

     3 topics
    • How automation impacts network management
      • Reduced manual configuration
      • Consistency and scalability
    • Traditional vs controller-based networking
      • Distributed control plane
      • Centralized control plane
    • Control plane and data plane separation

  2. Software-Defined and Controller-Based Architectures

     3 topics
    • Southbound and northbound APIs
      • Controller-to-device (southbound)
      • Application-to-controller (northbound)
    • Cisco DNA Center / Catalyst Center overview
      • Device management at scale
      • Comparison with traditional CLI
    • Campus device management comparison
      • Per-device vs centralized management

  3. APIs and Data Encoding

     3 topics
    • REST-based API characteristics
      • CRUD and HTTP verbs (GET, POST, PUT, DELETE)
      • HTTP status codes
      • Authentication headers
    • Data interpretation with JSON
      • Keys, values, and data types
      • Objects and arrays
      • Identifying valid JSON
    • Comparison of JSON, XML, and YAML

  4. Configuration Management Tools

     3 topics
    • Capabilities of management mechanisms
      • Agent-based vs agentless
      • Push vs pull models
    • Comparison of Puppet, Chef, and Ansible
      • Ansible playbooks and inventory
      • Tool selection considerations
    • Infrastructure as code concepts

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability flashcards — 50 questions with answers

  1. How does network automation impact day-to-day network management?

    It reduces manual, repetitive CLI configuration, speeds up provisioning, enforces consistency across devices, lowers human error, and enables changes to be made at scale from a central point.

  2. List three operational benefits that automation brings to a network.

    Faster deployment/provisioning, fewer configuration errors (consistency), and lower operating costs through reduced manual effort. It also improves scalability and reduces downtime.

  3. In traditional networking, where do the control plane and data plane reside?

    Both planes reside on each individual device; every device makes its own forwarding decisions and is configured independently (a distributed, box-by-box model).

  4. In controller-based (SDN) networking, how is intelligence organized?

    The control plane is centralized in a controller, which programs the data plane of each network device, allowing the whole network to be managed and configured from one central point.

  5. What is the function of the control plane?

    It makes decisions about how traffic should be forwarded — building routing/MAC tables, running routing protocols (OSPF, EIGRP, STP, ARP) — but does not forward the actual packets.

  6. What is the function of the data plane (forwarding plane)?

    It forwards actual user packets/frames through the device based on the information programmed by the control plane (e.g., using the FIB and adjacency tables).

  7. What problem does separating the control plane from the data plane solve?

    It allows centralized, programmatic control of forwarding behavior across many devices, removing the need to configure each device's control logic individually and enabling SDN.

  8. In an SDN architecture, what are the three layers/planes?

    Application layer (apps/business logic), control layer (SDN controller), and infrastructure/data layer (the physical/virtual network devices that forward traffic).

  9. What is a southbound API (SBI) in SDN?

    The interface between the SDN controller and the network devices below it; the controller uses it to program/configure the devices. Examples: OpenFlow, NETCONF, RESTCONF, OpFlex.

  10. What is a northbound API (NBI) in SDN?

    The interface between the SDN controller and the applications above it; it lets applications request services and retrieve data from the controller. Typically a REST API.

  11. Name three protocols commonly used as southbound interfaces.

    OpenFlow, NETCONF, RESTCONF, and OpFlex (Cisco) are common southbound protocols.

  12. What protocol/style is typically used for northbound APIs?

    REST (RESTful APIs over HTTPS), allowing applications to communicate with the controller using standard HTTP methods.

  13. What is Cisco DNA Center (Catalyst Center)?

    Cisco's centralized SDN controller and network management/automation platform for enterprise/campus networks, providing design, provisioning, policy (intent-based), and assurance from a single dashboard.

  14. What does 'intent-based networking' mean in the context of Cisco DNA/Catalyst Center?

    Administrators define the desired business outcome (intent/policy) and the controller automatically translates it into device configurations and continuously verifies/assures it is met.

  15. What are the four main workflow areas in Cisco DNA Center?

    Design, Policy, Provision, and Assurance.

  16. What is 'Assurance' in Cisco DNA Center?

    Continuous monitoring and analytics of network health that uses telemetry and machine learning to detect issues, show health scores, and suggest remediation.

  17. Compare traditional campus device management with controller-based management.

    Traditional: per-device CLI configuration, distributed control, manual and error-prone. Controller-based: centralized configuration/policy via DNA Center, automated provisioning, consistent and scalable, with built-in assurance.

  18. In traditional campus management, how is configuration applied to devices?

    Manually, device by device, via CLI (Telnet/SSH/console), with each device managed independently.

  19. In controller-based campus management, how is configuration applied?

    Centrally through the controller (DNA/Catalyst Center) using APIs and automated workflows, pushing consistent config and policy to many devices at once.

  20. What does REST stand for?

    REpresentational State Transfer — an architectural style for designing networked APIs that use standard HTTP.

Show the other 30 Automation and Programmability flashcards

  1. List the key characteristics of a RESTful API.

    Client-server, stateless, cacheable, uniform interface, layered system, and uses standard HTTP methods over (typically) HTTPS. Data is usually exchanged as JSON or XML.

  2. What does it mean that REST is 'stateless'?

    Each request from client to server must contain all information needed to process it; the server stores no client session/context between requests.

  3. Which HTTP methods (verbs) are used in REST APIs and what do they do?

    GET (retrieve/read), POST (create), PUT (update/replace), PATCH (partial update), and DELETE (remove).

  4. In a REST API, what is the structure of a request?

    A URI/endpoint, an HTTP method (verb), HTTP headers (e.g., Content-Type, Authorization), and an optional body/payload (often JSON).

  5. What is the role of HTTP status codes in REST API responses?

    They indicate the result: 2xx = success (200 OK, 201 Created), 4xx = client error (401 Unauthorized, 404 Not Found), 5xx = server error (500).

  6. What HTTP status code range indicates a successful REST request?

    The 2xx range (e.g., 200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content).

  7. What does JSON stand for and what is it used for?

    JavaScript Object Notation — a lightweight, human-readable text format for exchanging structured data, widely used in REST APIs.

  8. What are the two main structures used to organize data in JSON?

    Objects, written as key/value pairs inside curly braces { }, and arrays, written as ordered lists inside square brackets [ ].

  9. How is a key/value pair written in JSON?

    As "key": value, where the key is a string in double quotes and the value can be a string, number, boolean, null, array, or object (e.g., "hostname": "R1").

  10. What data types are supported in JSON values?

    String, number, boolean (true/false), null, array, and object.

  11. In JSON, how are strings denoted versus numbers and booleans?

    Strings are enclosed in double quotes ("R1"); numbers (10), booleans (true/false), and null are written without quotes.

  12. Given JSON {"interfaces": ["Gig0/1", "Gig0/2"]}, what does it represent?

    A key 'interfaces' whose value is an array of two string elements: "Gig0/1" and "Gig0/2".

  13. What does XML stand for and how does it structure data?

    eXtensible Markup Language; it structures data using nested opening and closing tags, e.g., <hostname>R1</hostname>.

  14. What does YAML stand for and what is it commonly used for?

    YAML Ain't Markup Language; a human-readable data format that uses indentation, commonly used for configuration files and automation tools like Ansible.

  15. How does YAML represent structure (instead of braces or tags)?

    Through indentation (spaces, not tabs); key: value pairs and list items beginning with a hyphen and space (- item).

  16. Compare JSON, XML, and YAML in terms of readability and syntax.

    JSON uses braces/brackets and is compact and machine-friendly; XML uses verbose open/close tags; YAML uses indentation and is the most human-readable. All represent structured key/value data.

  17. Which data format is most commonly associated with Ansible playbooks?

    YAML.

  18. In YAML, how is a list (sequence) written?

    As lines each starting with a hyphen and a space, e.g.:\n- Gig0/1\n- Gig0/2

  19. What character begins a comment in YAML?

    The hash/pound symbol (#).

  20. What are the three main configuration management tools compared in the CCNA?

    Puppet, Chef, and Ansible.

  21. What language/agent model does Ansible use?

    Ansible is agentless, uses SSH to connect to devices, is written in Python, and uses YAML-based playbooks. It uses a push model.

  22. What model (push or pull) and agent type does Puppet use?

    Puppet typically uses a pull model with an agent installed on managed nodes (though agentless options exist), and uses a Ruby-based declarative DSL (manifests).

  23. What model and language does Chef use?

    Chef uses a pull model with an agent (chef-client) on nodes, configurations written in Ruby (recipes and cookbooks).

  24. Which of Puppet, Chef, and Ansible is agentless, and why does that matter?

    Ansible is agentless — it needs no software pre-installed on managed devices (uses SSH), making it simpler to deploy on network gear.

  25. What term describes Ansible's unit of automation, and what format is it?

    A 'playbook,' written in YAML, which contains plays and tasks describing the desired configuration.

  26. What are Puppet's and Chef's configuration files called, respectively?

    Puppet uses 'manifests' (and modules); Chef uses 'recipes' (grouped into cookbooks).

  27. Which configuration management tools use a master/agent pull model by default?

    Puppet and Chef (agents pull configuration from a master/server); Ansible instead pushes over SSH and is agentless.

  28. What is Infrastructure as Code (IaC)?

    The practice of managing and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable definition files (code) rather than manual processes, enabling versioning, repeatability, and automation.

  29. What are the main benefits of Infrastructure as Code?

    Consistency/repeatability, version control of configurations, faster and automated deployments, reduced human error, and easy rollback and scalability.

  30. How does Infrastructure as Code relate to tools like Ansible, Puppet, and Chef?

    These configuration management tools implement IaC by defining device/server configuration in code (YAML playbooks, manifests, recipes) that is stored, versioned, and applied automatically.

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability FAQ

What is in the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability syllabus?

Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability is split into 4 chapters: Automation Impact on Networking, Software-Defined and Controller-Based Architectures, APIs and Data Encoding and Configuration Management Tools. Together they contain 12 topics and 19 sub-topics.

How many chapters are in Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability?

4 chapters, containing 12 topics and 19 sub-topics. The largest chapter is Automation Impact on Networking, with 3 topics.

Are there flashcards for Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Automation and Programmability?

Yes — a 50-card Automation and Programmability deck, printed in full in the flashcards section of this page and available in the Examius app with spaced repetition. The free plan covers one exam of your choice, including its flashcards; Examius Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every other exam and deck.