WGU D415 SOFTWARE-DEFINED NETWORKING (SDN)
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT ACTUAL PRACTICE QUESTIONS &
STUDY GUIDE MOST TESTED QUESTIONS LATEST| ALREADY
PASSED!
Exam Overview
The WGU D415 – Software-Defined Networking (SDN) course covers the
architecture, protocols, and implementation of SDN, including the fundamental
separation of the control and data planes. The exam includes questions on SDN
architecture, OpenFlow, SDN controllers (OpenDaylight, ONOS),
northbound/southbound APIs, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), OpenStack
modules, network virtualization, security models, and automation tools.
Exam Details:
Aspect Detail
Course D415 Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
Institution Western Governors University (WGU)
Exam Objective Assessment (OA)
Type
Format Multiple-choice, scenario-based questions
Key Topics SDN architecture, control/data planes, OpenFlow, controllers,
NFV, OpenStack, network virtualization, security, automation
Core Content Areas
1. SDN Architecture & Core Concepts
Separation of control plane and data plane
Centralized network control and programmability
SDN planes: Application, Control, Data, Management
, OpenFlow protocol
2. SDN APIs & Protocols
Northbound API (applications to controller)
Southbound API (controller to network devices)
East-west API (controller-to-controller communication)
NETCONF/RESTCONF and YANG data modeling
3. SDN Controllers
OpenDaylight (ODL) – modular multi-protocol controller
ONOS (Open Network Operating System) – carrier-grade controller
NOX – one of the first OpenFlow controllers
VMware NSX – commercial/vendor-specific
Cisco ACI – commercial/vendor-specific
4. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)
NFV vs. SDN (complementary models)
NFV Components: VNFs, NFVI, NFV-MANO
Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV)
5. OpenStack Modules
Nova (compute)
Swift (object storage)
Glance (image management)
Neutron (networking)
Keystone (authentication)
Barbican (secure authentication storage)
Cinder, Horizon, Heat, Ironic
6. Network Virtualization
, Virtual overlay networks
VLANs, VXLAN, VPNs, NVGRE
Virtual Network Functions (VNFs)
7. Security in SDN
Controller clustering for redundancy
Controller diversity for intrusion tolerance
NIST security frameworks
Microsegmentation
Proactive and reactive security recovery mechanisms
8. Network Automation
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Ansible (open-source automation tool)
Puppet, Chef, Terraform
Programmable interfaces
Practice Questions
SECTION 1: SDN ARCHITECTURE & CORE CONCEPTS (Questions 1-30)
1. What is the primary architectural change introduced by Software-Defined
Networking (SDN)?
A) Combining the control and data planes into a single device
B) Decoupling the network control (control plane) from the forwarding
functions (data plane)
C) Eliminating all network protocols
D) Replacing IP addresses with MAC addresses
Rationale: SDN fundamentally separates the control plane (decision-making) from
the data plane (packet forwarding). This decoupling enables centralized,
, programmable network control, allowing the network to be managed holistically
rather than device-by-device.
2. The SDN architecture decouples network control and forwarding functions,
enabling which key capability?
A) Hardware-dependent network management
B) Network control to become directly programmable
C) Elimination of all software from network devices
D) Manual configuration of each network device
Rationale: By decoupling control and forwarding, SDN makes the network directly
programmable through software controllers. The underlying infrastructure is
abstracted from applications and network services.
3. What is the primary goal of Software-Defined Networking (SDN)?
A) To replace routers with switches
B) To centralize network control and management
C) To encrypt network traffic
D) To virtualize physical servers
Rationale: SDN's primary goal is centralizing network intelligence and control
through a software-based controller, moving away from distributed control on
individual devices.
4. Software-Defined Networks (SDN) is defined as:
A) An architecture that decouples the network control and forwarding
functions enabling network control to become directly programmable
B) A protocol for routing between SDN controllers
OBJECTIVE ASSESSMENT ACTUAL PRACTICE QUESTIONS &
STUDY GUIDE MOST TESTED QUESTIONS LATEST| ALREADY
PASSED!
Exam Overview
The WGU D415 – Software-Defined Networking (SDN) course covers the
architecture, protocols, and implementation of SDN, including the fundamental
separation of the control and data planes. The exam includes questions on SDN
architecture, OpenFlow, SDN controllers (OpenDaylight, ONOS),
northbound/southbound APIs, Network Functions Virtualization (NFV), OpenStack
modules, network virtualization, security models, and automation tools.
Exam Details:
Aspect Detail
Course D415 Software-Defined Networking (SDN)
Institution Western Governors University (WGU)
Exam Objective Assessment (OA)
Type
Format Multiple-choice, scenario-based questions
Key Topics SDN architecture, control/data planes, OpenFlow, controllers,
NFV, OpenStack, network virtualization, security, automation
Core Content Areas
1. SDN Architecture & Core Concepts
Separation of control plane and data plane
Centralized network control and programmability
SDN planes: Application, Control, Data, Management
, OpenFlow protocol
2. SDN APIs & Protocols
Northbound API (applications to controller)
Southbound API (controller to network devices)
East-west API (controller-to-controller communication)
NETCONF/RESTCONF and YANG data modeling
3. SDN Controllers
OpenDaylight (ODL) – modular multi-protocol controller
ONOS (Open Network Operating System) – carrier-grade controller
NOX – one of the first OpenFlow controllers
VMware NSX – commercial/vendor-specific
Cisco ACI – commercial/vendor-specific
4. Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)
NFV vs. SDN (complementary models)
NFV Components: VNFs, NFVI, NFV-MANO
Open Platform for NFV (OPNFV)
5. OpenStack Modules
Nova (compute)
Swift (object storage)
Glance (image management)
Neutron (networking)
Keystone (authentication)
Barbican (secure authentication storage)
Cinder, Horizon, Heat, Ironic
6. Network Virtualization
, Virtual overlay networks
VLANs, VXLAN, VPNs, NVGRE
Virtual Network Functions (VNFs)
7. Security in SDN
Controller clustering for redundancy
Controller diversity for intrusion tolerance
NIST security frameworks
Microsegmentation
Proactive and reactive security recovery mechanisms
8. Network Automation
Infrastructure as Code (IaC)
Ansible (open-source automation tool)
Puppet, Chef, Terraform
Programmable interfaces
Practice Questions
SECTION 1: SDN ARCHITECTURE & CORE CONCEPTS (Questions 1-30)
1. What is the primary architectural change introduced by Software-Defined
Networking (SDN)?
A) Combining the control and data planes into a single device
B) Decoupling the network control (control plane) from the forwarding
functions (data plane)
C) Eliminating all network protocols
D) Replacing IP addresses with MAC addresses
Rationale: SDN fundamentally separates the control plane (decision-making) from
the data plane (packet forwarding). This decoupling enables centralized,
, programmable network control, allowing the network to be managed holistically
rather than device-by-device.
2. The SDN architecture decouples network control and forwarding functions,
enabling which key capability?
A) Hardware-dependent network management
B) Network control to become directly programmable
C) Elimination of all software from network devices
D) Manual configuration of each network device
Rationale: By decoupling control and forwarding, SDN makes the network directly
programmable through software controllers. The underlying infrastructure is
abstracted from applications and network services.
3. What is the primary goal of Software-Defined Networking (SDN)?
A) To replace routers with switches
B) To centralize network control and management
C) To encrypt network traffic
D) To virtualize physical servers
Rationale: SDN's primary goal is centralizing network intelligence and control
through a software-based controller, moving away from distributed control on
individual devices.
4. Software-Defined Networks (SDN) is defined as:
A) An architecture that decouples the network control and forwarding
functions enabling network control to become directly programmable
B) A protocol for routing between SDN controllers
