Exam Prep Questions

Question 1	Which of the following router components contain versions of the router's configuration file? (Choose the two best answers.) A. Flash memory B. NVRAM C. RAM D. ROM
A1:	The correct answers are B and C. NVRAM contains the backup configuration file for the router, whereas RAM contains the router's active configuration file. Flash memory and ROM do not contain a configuration file; they contain the router's IOS image files. Therefore, answers A and D are incorrect.
Question 2	Where does the running configuration file exist in a Cisco router? A. NVRAM B. ROM C. RAM D. Flash memory
A2:	The correct answer is C. The running configuration file exists in RAM. This file is erased when a router is reloaded or its power is cycled. Answer B cannot be correct because ROM is a read-only device, and configuration files are constantly being updated. Answer A is incorrect because NVRAM is used to maintain the startup configuration file, not the running configuration file. Answer D is incorrect because Flash memory stores a copy of the IOS software, not the running configuration files.
Question 3	What mode is triggered when a router is powered up for the first time? A. User Mode B. Priority Mode C. Startup Mode D. Setup Mode
A3:	Answer D is correct. A router goes into setup mode when power is applied for the first time. Once the administrator has entered the basic configuration requirements, a running configuration file is generated, which in turn provides the user mode and priority mode for additional configuration. Therefore, answers A and B are incorrect. Startup Mode sounds correct, but there is no startup mode in the five basic modes of operation.
Question 4	What are three possible ways to connect to a router? A. Through a console port B. Remotely via a modem C. Through the maintenance interface D. Through an active router interface
A4:	Answers A, B, and D are correct. You can connect locally through a serial cable connected to the console port or Telnet through an active interface from a terminal. Most routers also allow for a modem connection when the network is down and you cannot physically go to the router location. There is no maintenance interface on a router.
Question 5	Power is restored after a major power outage . Your router, however, has lost all of the configuration updates you made over the past month. What has most likely happened ? A. The battery powering NVRAM could not maintain memory for the length of the power outage. B. The running configuration file did not have sufficient time to back itself up to NVRAM when the power failed. C. Power fluctuations inherent in power outages probably purged the flash memory. D. You forgot to save your changes.
A5:	Answer D is correct. When you change a running configuration file, you must also save the changes to the startup configuration file in NVRAM. Otherwise, when power is restored, the startup configuration file will be copied to RAM and your changes will be lost. The running configuration file does not back itself up. Therefore, B is incorrect. Answer A is incorrect because NVRAM does not use a backup battery. Flash memory could be purged as a result of power fluctuations, but it is a very remote possibility. If flash memory were purged, the router would use the IOS version from ROM, which would be very noticeable.
Question 6	What, if any, are the differences between the IOS stored in ROM and the IOS stored in EEPROM? A. They are both the same; the ROM version is a backup for the version in EEPROM. B. The EEPROM version is a full version of IOS. The ROM version contains only the basics required for initial operation. C. The EEPROM version contains all of the configuration changes input by the administrator. The ROM version is a basic unmodified version of IOS. D. ROM contains the running version of IOS, EEPROM contains downloaded updates for the IOS.
A6:	Answer B is correct. The EEPROM contains the most current full version of IOS used for day-to-day operation. ROM contains a scaled down version of the IOS, which will get the router running in the event no other operating system is available. Answer A is incorrect because the versions are very different. Answer C is incorrect because "flashing" and then downloading another version of IOS is the only way to change the IOS version in EEPROM. The administrator cannot make changes to the IOS configuration in EEPROM. Lastly, answer D is incorrect because the current or running version of IOS resides in EEPROM.
Question 7	Why do Cisco routers maintain a basic version of IOS in ROM? A. ROM is easy to change and provides an ideal way of updating the router software. B. Storing IOS in ROM prevents the users from modifying or stealing the non-compiled version of IOS. C. ROM contains the core operating code for IOS. Without it, the router could not function. D. ROM does not require power to maintain data. Therefore, if all else fails, the scaled down version of IOS stored in ROM is capable of getting the router up and running with basic functionality.
A7:	Answer D is correct. A basic version of IOS is stored in ROM so that the router will always be able to be started with basic functionality. Answer A is not correct because downloading to an EEPROM is far easier than distributing and installing ROM chips. Answer B is incorrect because the code in ROM is compiled and theft and/or tampering is really not a concern. Lastly, C is not correct because the EEPROM stores a complete version of IOS. The ROM version is a scaled down backup.
Question 8	After four hours of work, you finally have the new Cisco router running perfectly . When you return from lunch your boss mentions he made a few simple changes and now it does not work. What would be the best way to rectify the situation? A. Purge the memories and start over. B. Flash the EEPROM, download a clean IOS, and rebuild the running configuration file. C. Walk your boss back through what he remembers of the changes and try to undo each change. D. Turn the router off and then turn it on again.
A8:	Answer D is correct. Your boss has changed the running configuration file. Chances are very good he did not save the running configuration file to the startup file in NVRAM. Therefore, turning the router off and then on again will erase the running configuration file and replace it with a copy of the startup file. So long as you saved your work (you did save your work, didn't you?), the router should come back up and work just like it did before lunch. Answer A is incorrect because if you purged the memories, you would lose the startup file and any hope of recovering your prior work. Answer B is incorrect because your boss's actions only affected the running configuration file. He could not compromise the operating system so nothing would be accomplished by reloading the IOS. Answer C is incorrect because he would probably not remember exactly what he did, and even if he did, cycling the power would be much faster and easier.
Question 9	With regard to the situation in question 8, you must have done one of the following for the situation to develop as it did. What would that most likely be? A. Went to lunch and left the console running in user mode. B. Left the console running in global mode when you went to lunch. C. Left the console running in setup mode while you went to lunch. D. Went to lunch and left the console running in privileged mode.
A9:	Answer D is correct. Question 8 states that the router was running perfectly prior to going to lunch. The router needs a running configuration file to operate . The presence of a running configuration file indicates setup mode had completed and will not run again until both the running configuration file and startup file are lost. Answer C is therefore eliminated as an option. User mode is a display only mode, so if the console was left in that mode, your boss could only view parts of the configuration, not change it. Therefore, answer A is incorrect. Global mode only provides access to non-critical parameters, not configuration files so B could not be correct. That leaves A as the correct answer. Only privileged mode provides access to the running configuration file. You must have gone to lunch and left the console running in privileged mode.
Question 10	Now that the router in question 8 is up and running again, your boss confides that what he was really trying to do was name the router after his wife. He is now too embarrassed to try it himself so he asks you to rename the router. What mode must the router be in to change its name ? A. Global mode B. Privileged mode C. Setup mode D. RXBOOT mode
A10:	Answer A is correct. The name of a router is one of those global parameter changes that really does not affect the configuration files. Answer C is a possibility, but the router is already running, so you are not going to have access to setup mode. Privileged mode, answer B, is for access to the configuration files. Router name is really not a part of the configuration. Lastly, RXBOOT mode is maintenance and recovery, not setting global parameters.

The exam will ask about the five modes of operation and the settings that can be accessed in each mode. Although the previous three questions make it sound like there is an underlying logic behind these terms, they are in reality arbitrary. For you to answer these questions correctly on the test you are probably going to have to memorize the modes and their subsets. We will be going into the modes and their subsets in more detail in the configuration chapters that follow.