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Cisco ENCOR 350-401 study materials
Cisco ENCOR 350-401 study resources

Cisco ENCOR 350-401: Automation

Cisco ENCOR 350-401 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.

All guide sections

Automation

Automation (about 20%) tests data formats and APIs, model-driven configuration, scripting, and orchestration tools - the vocabulary and mechanics behind DNA Center and SD-WAN programmability.

Data formats and APIs

  • JSON: objects in braces, arrays in brackets, strings in double quotes; no comments. XML uses elements/attributes and namespaces. YANG is a data-modeling language, not a data format.
  • REST uses HTTP methods: GET reads, POST creates, PUT replaces, PATCH partially updates, DELETE removes. Common status codes: 200 OK, 201 Created, 204 No Content, 400 Bad Request, 401 Unauthorized, 403 Forbidden, 404 Not Found, 500 Server Error.
  • NETCONF runs over SSH port 830 and uses XML; RESTCONF runs over HTTPS and can use JSON or XML. Both use YANG models. gNMI/gRPC is common for telemetry.

Tooling

  • Python is used for scripts and API calls; requests handles HTTP, json parses payloads. Ansible is agentless and uses YAML playbooks over SSH/API; Puppet and Chef use agents and manifests/recipes; SaltStack uses minions. Git tracks versions and enables collaboration; CI/CD automates test and deployment.
  • Cisco DNA Center Intent API and SD-WAN vManage API expose controllers. EEM runs Tcl/applets on-device for event-driven actions.

Worked example

A script must read the description of interface GigabitEthernet1/0/1 from a RESTCONF-capable device. It sends GET to the interface URI with Accept: application/yang-data+json and an authentication token. A 200 response returns a JSON object; the script parses it with json.loads() and reads the description field. If the response is 404, the path or model is wrong; 401 means the token is missing/expired. Reasoning: RESTCONF is HTTP-based, so content negotiation and status codes matter; the YANG path identifies the data.

Traps

  • Saying YANG is a data format such as JSON.
  • Using GET to change configuration; GET must be safe.
  • Forgetting that NETCONF uses SSH/830, not HTTPS.
  • Assuming Ansible needs an agent; it is agentless.
  • Treating a 204 as an error; it is success with no body.
  • Expecting JSON to allow comments.