What File Extension is Required for Cisco ISE ZTP in Hyper-V?
Short answer
D The ZTP configuration file must use an .iso extension for Microsoft Hyper-V deployments.
Question
Key Takeaways
This question tests zero-touch provisioning hypervisor requirements, where the common trap is assuming the generic .img format or raw .txt file is used instead of the Hyper-V specific .iso format.
Deploying Cisco ISE via Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) on Microsoft Hyper-V requires the configuration file to use a specific file format. This page establishes that the .iso extension is required because Hyper-V must mount the file as a virtual CD/DVD drive.
Common mistake: Choosing .img because it is the standard ZTP format for other hypervisors like VMware, or choosing .txt because the underlying configuration data is text-based.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Microsoft Hyper-V requires the ZTP configuration media to be mounted as a virtual CD/DVD drive, which necessitates an ISO image format. Although the actual ZTP configuration data is text-based, it must be packaged into a file with an.iso extension for Hyper-V to recognize and attach it during the boot process. Therefore, the.iso extension is the strictly required format for the ZTP configuration file in this specific hypervisor environment.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A (.txt) is incorrect because while the configuration contents are text, Hyper-V cannot mount a bare text file as a bootable medium for ZTP. Option B (.img) is incorrect because, unlike VMware or KVM, Hyper-V does not natively support mounting.img files for ZTP provisioning. Option C (.tar) is simply not a supported format for ISE ZTP configuration files on any hypervisor.Community Comment Notes
As noted in the community, "Hyper-V does not support the standard '.img' file format used for ZTP on other platforms". Another user clarified that "the file must be packaged into an ISO image for Hyper‑V to recognize and attach it during the boot process". This highlights the critical distinction between the raw text data and the required packaging format dictated by the hypervisor.Official Reference
https://community.cisco.com/t5/security-knowledge-base/ise-zero-touch-provisioning-ztp/ta-p/4541606
This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
For hypervisor-specific deployment questions, memorize the supported file formats for mounting configuration or image files (e.g., Hyper-V uses .iso, VMware uses .img). Pay close attention to the exact hypervisor mentioned in the question stem to avoid applying a generic rule.
Community Votes
83% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 4 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors, not of islever. The comments shown first are the most substantive of the thread — ranked by depth, community endorsement and relevance; expand the list below to read the rest.
From public community threads 4
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7614739 👍 2 Answered DThe ZTP configuration file must be provided via a bootable medium that Hyper‑V can mount as a virtual CD/DVD drive. In Hyper-V, that medium is an ISO image. Even though the actual ZTP configuration content is typically stored in a text file (often named something like ztp.txt), the file must be packaged into an ISO image for Hyper‑V to recognize and attach it during the boot process
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dawlims 👍 2 Answered DWhen deploying Cisco ISE using a ZTP configuration file in Microsoft Hyper-V, the file extension used is .iso. This is because Hyper-V does not support the standard ".img" file format used for ZTP on other platforms, requiring the use of an ISO image instead.
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one_1996 👍 1 Answered AWhen deploying Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) using Zero-Touch Provisioning (ZTP) in Microsoft Hyper-V, the configuration file must have a .txt extension. This text file contains the necessary bootstrapping configurations for automating the deployment of Cisco ISE. iso file is needed if you want to deploy Cisco ISE without ztp
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Jimmyb007 👍 1 Answered Dhttps://community.cisco.com/t5/security-knowledge-base/ise-zero-touch-provisioning-ztp/ta-p/4541606#toc-hId-2143385203
Reader comments & corrections
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