Question

Difficulty: MediumImpact of Automation on Network Management

A global logistics company operates hundreds of edge routers configured individually via SSH CLI scripts. Due to subtle differences introduced during manual troubleshooting over time, routine network changes frequently lead to unexpected outages. Which primary operational shift occurs when this network adopts an automated, intent-based management system to handle configuration updates?

  1. A
    Management workflows require deploying dedicated agent software on each edge router to parse declarative configuration files locally.
  2. Device state is continuously validated and aligned against a centralized target intent, eliminating inconsistencies caused by manual ad-hoc changes.Answer
  3. C
    System monitoring relies on HTTP GET requests to push live configuration state updates directly to remote network hardware.
  4. D
    Event logging priority is inverted so that Syslog severity level 7 notifications automatically initiate emergency configuration rollbacks instead of severity level 0 messages.

Answer

Device state is continuously validated and aligned against a centralized target intent, eliminating inconsistencies caused by manual ad-hoc changes.
Transitioning from manual CLI administration to automated, controller-led management establishes a single source of truth. The management system continuously validates active device configurations against defined business intent, eliminating configuration drift and operational errors caused by ad-hoc CLI changes.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the operational problem presented in the scenario.
Manual CLI scripting leads to device-to-device configuration drift and unexpected outages due to unverified local changes.
Individual CLI administration lacks central state tracking and continuous compliance verification.
2
Evaluate the impact of automated, intent-based network management systems.
Automated management systems define a centralized single source of truth and continuously audit physical device states against this intended configuration.
Centralized intent-driven systems enforce standardization, reduce human error, and remediate unauthorized configuration drift.
3
Identify the option that reflects this operational advantage.
Continuous validation of device state against a centralized intent target.
This directly resolves the issue of variations and outages caused by manual CLI adjustments.

Key Concept

Impact of Automation on Network Management Consistency and Configuration Drift
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