SRWE MODULE 1 – DEVICE CONFIGURATION BASICS | COMPLETE PRACTICE
QUESTIONS, ANSWERS & STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
Switch Boot Sequence - ANS ✔✔The process a Cisco switch goes through when powered on, consisting
of five steps.
POST (Power-On Self-Test) - ANS ✔✔A program stored in ROM that checks the CPU subsystem, tests the
CPU, DRAM, and the portion of flash that makes up the flash file system.
Boot Loader Software - ANS ✔✔A small program stored in ROM that runs immediately after POST
completes successfully.
Boot Loader CPU Initialization - ANS ✔✔The process where the boot loader performs low-level CPU
initialization, setting up CPU registers that control memory mapping, quantity, and speed.
Boot Loader Flash Initialization - ANS ✔✔The stage where the boot loader initializes the flash file system
on the system board.
IOS Loading - ANS ✔✔The final step where the boot loader locates and loads a default IOS operating
system software image into memory and transfers control to the IOS.
Switch Boot Process - ANS ✔✔The process by which a switch starts up, first using information in the
BOOT environment variable or, if not set, loading the first executable file it finds.
BOOT environment variable - ANS ✔✔A variable that stores information about the location of the IOS
image file that the switch should use during bootup.
boot system command - ANS ✔✔A global configuration mode command used to specify the location of
the Cisco IOS software image that will be used during system bootup.
config.text - ANS ✔✔The startup-configuration file located in flash memory that contains the Cisco IOS
commands used to initialize interfaces during the boot process.
show boot - ANS ✔✔A command used to display the current IOS boot file settings on a switch.
IOS initialization process - ANS ✔✔The procedure where the operating system initializes interfaces using
commands found in the startup-config file after loading the IOS image.
System LED (SYST) - ANS ✔✔Shows whether the system is receiving power and functioning properly.
Redundant Power Supply LED (RPS) - ANS ✔✔Shows the RPS status.
Port Status LED (STAT) - ANS ✔✔When green, indicates port status mode is selected, which is the
default. Port status can then be understood by the light associated with each port.
, Port Duplex LED (DUPLX) - ANS ✔✔When green, indicates port duplex mode is selected. Port duplex can
then be understood by the light associated with each port.
Port Speed LED (SPEED) - ANS ✔✔When green, indicates port speed mode is selected. Port speed can
then be understood by the light associated with each port.
Power over Ethernet LED (PoE) - ANS ✔✔Present if the switch supports PoE. Indicates the PoE status of
ports on the switch.
Mode button - ANS ✔✔Used to move between the different modes - STAT, DUPLX, SPEED, and PoE.
Boot Loader - ANS ✔✔A program that provides access into the switch if the operating system cannot be
used because of missing or damaged system files. It has a command line that provides access to files
stored in flash memory.
Boot Loader Command Line - ANS ✔✔Supports commands to format the flash file system, reinstall the
operating system software, and recover lost or forgotten passwords. Commands like "dir" can be used to
view files within a specified directory.
Accessing Boot Loader - ANS ✔✔The process requires connecting a PC via console cable to the switch,
unplugging and reconnecting the power cord, and within 15 seconds pressing and holding the Mode
button until the System LED turns briefly amber then solid green.
Boot Loader Prompt - ANS ✔✔The "switch:" prompt that appears in the terminal emulation software
when successfully accessing the boot loader interface after following the recovery steps.
System Recovery Steps - ANS ✔✔1) Connect PC to switch console port 2) Unplug switch power cord 3)
Reconnect power and hold Mode button within 15 seconds 4) Continue holding until LED turns amber
then green 5) Release button when boot loader prompt appears.
IP Address Configuration - ANS ✔✔The process of preparing a switch for remote management by
assigning it an IP address and subnet mask.
Default Gateway - ANS ✔✔Required configuration for a switch to be managed from a remote network,
similar to IP address configuration on host devices.
Switch Virtual Interface (SVI) - ANS ✔✔A virtual interface used to assign an IP address to a switch for
management purposes, rather than a physical port.
Console Cable - ANS ✔✔The physical connection used to connect a PC to a switch for initial
configuration before remote management is possible.
Switch SVI Configuration - ANS ✔✔By default, a switch is configured to have its management controlled
through VLAN 1, with all ports assigned to VLAN 1. For security best practices, it's recommended to use a
VLAN other than VLAN 1 for the management VLAN.
QUESTIONS, ANSWERS & STUDY GUIDE 2026/2027
Switch Boot Sequence - ANS ✔✔The process a Cisco switch goes through when powered on, consisting
of five steps.
POST (Power-On Self-Test) - ANS ✔✔A program stored in ROM that checks the CPU subsystem, tests the
CPU, DRAM, and the portion of flash that makes up the flash file system.
Boot Loader Software - ANS ✔✔A small program stored in ROM that runs immediately after POST
completes successfully.
Boot Loader CPU Initialization - ANS ✔✔The process where the boot loader performs low-level CPU
initialization, setting up CPU registers that control memory mapping, quantity, and speed.
Boot Loader Flash Initialization - ANS ✔✔The stage where the boot loader initializes the flash file system
on the system board.
IOS Loading - ANS ✔✔The final step where the boot loader locates and loads a default IOS operating
system software image into memory and transfers control to the IOS.
Switch Boot Process - ANS ✔✔The process by which a switch starts up, first using information in the
BOOT environment variable or, if not set, loading the first executable file it finds.
BOOT environment variable - ANS ✔✔A variable that stores information about the location of the IOS
image file that the switch should use during bootup.
boot system command - ANS ✔✔A global configuration mode command used to specify the location of
the Cisco IOS software image that will be used during system bootup.
config.text - ANS ✔✔The startup-configuration file located in flash memory that contains the Cisco IOS
commands used to initialize interfaces during the boot process.
show boot - ANS ✔✔A command used to display the current IOS boot file settings on a switch.
IOS initialization process - ANS ✔✔The procedure where the operating system initializes interfaces using
commands found in the startup-config file after loading the IOS image.
System LED (SYST) - ANS ✔✔Shows whether the system is receiving power and functioning properly.
Redundant Power Supply LED (RPS) - ANS ✔✔Shows the RPS status.
Port Status LED (STAT) - ANS ✔✔When green, indicates port status mode is selected, which is the
default. Port status can then be understood by the light associated with each port.
, Port Duplex LED (DUPLX) - ANS ✔✔When green, indicates port duplex mode is selected. Port duplex can
then be understood by the light associated with each port.
Port Speed LED (SPEED) - ANS ✔✔When green, indicates port speed mode is selected. Port speed can
then be understood by the light associated with each port.
Power over Ethernet LED (PoE) - ANS ✔✔Present if the switch supports PoE. Indicates the PoE status of
ports on the switch.
Mode button - ANS ✔✔Used to move between the different modes - STAT, DUPLX, SPEED, and PoE.
Boot Loader - ANS ✔✔A program that provides access into the switch if the operating system cannot be
used because of missing or damaged system files. It has a command line that provides access to files
stored in flash memory.
Boot Loader Command Line - ANS ✔✔Supports commands to format the flash file system, reinstall the
operating system software, and recover lost or forgotten passwords. Commands like "dir" can be used to
view files within a specified directory.
Accessing Boot Loader - ANS ✔✔The process requires connecting a PC via console cable to the switch,
unplugging and reconnecting the power cord, and within 15 seconds pressing and holding the Mode
button until the System LED turns briefly amber then solid green.
Boot Loader Prompt - ANS ✔✔The "switch:" prompt that appears in the terminal emulation software
when successfully accessing the boot loader interface after following the recovery steps.
System Recovery Steps - ANS ✔✔1) Connect PC to switch console port 2) Unplug switch power cord 3)
Reconnect power and hold Mode button within 15 seconds 4) Continue holding until LED turns amber
then green 5) Release button when boot loader prompt appears.
IP Address Configuration - ANS ✔✔The process of preparing a switch for remote management by
assigning it an IP address and subnet mask.
Default Gateway - ANS ✔✔Required configuration for a switch to be managed from a remote network,
similar to IP address configuration on host devices.
Switch Virtual Interface (SVI) - ANS ✔✔A virtual interface used to assign an IP address to a switch for
management purposes, rather than a physical port.
Console Cable - ANS ✔✔The physical connection used to connect a PC to a switch for initial
configuration before remote management is possible.
Switch SVI Configuration - ANS ✔✔By default, a switch is configured to have its management controlled
through VLAN 1, with all ports assigned to VLAN 1. For security best practices, it's recommended to use a
VLAN other than VLAN 1 for the management VLAN.
