What is a Key Characteristic of Cisco vManage?
What is a characteristic of vManage?
Community Votes
54% of anonymous learners picked answer D. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The question evaluates whether you recognize vManage's reliance on NETCONF for device configuration, despite the option's slightly imprecise reference to the 'data plane'.
This question tests vManage's communication protocols within the SD-WAN fabric. While technically nuanced, the exam expects NETCONF as the primary configuration method used by vManage to manage controllers and edge devices.
Candidates often select Option A because OMP is heavily emphasized in SD-WAN studies, mistakenly attributing it to vManage's direct communication with edge devices instead of recognizing it belongs to the vSmart control plane.
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Expert Analysis
Understanding vManage’s Role in SD-WAN
Cisco vManage serves as the centralized management plane for the SD-WAN fabric. Its primary function is to provide a single pane of glass for configuring, monitoring, and troubleshooting network elements. To accomplish this, vManage relies on standardized configuration protocols rather than dynamic routing protocols.Protocol Breakdown: NETCONF vs. OMP
The defining characteristic tested here is NETCONF (Network Configuration Protocol). vManage uses NETCONF (alongside RESTCONF/gRPC in newer versions) to push YANG-based configurations to both vSmart controllers and WAN Edge devices. While Option D incorrectly implies vManage builds the "data plane," the inclusion of NETCONF makes it the only viable choice. In contrast, OMP (Overlay Management Protocol) is exclusively used by the vSmart control plane to exchange routing, policy, and topology information with edge devices. vManage does not natively speak OMP.Why Other Options Fail
- Option A misattributes OMP to vManage. OMP operates strictly between vSmart and WAN Edge routers.
- Option B confuses management with legacy routing. OSPF runs on edge devices for internal routing, not on vManage.
- Option C incorrectly mandates a public IP. SD-WAN fabrics support private addressing with NAT traversal for cloud discovery.
Official Reference
Exam Strategy
When answering vManage protocol questions, prioritize NETCONF or gRPC for configuration tasks and reserve OMP exclusively for vSmart control-plane exchanges. If an option contains a minor architectural inaccuracy but correctly identifies the core management protocol, it is usually the intended answer over options with completely wrong protocols.
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