JN0-105 Junos - Associate (JNCIA-Junos) 2025 Exam Questions and Answers

RADIUS, which stands for Remote Authentication Dial-In User Service, provides authentication services for users trying to access a network. It is a networking protocol that provides centralized Authentication, Authorization, and Accounting (AAA) management for users who connect and use a network service.

The Network Time Protocol (NTP) is designed to synchronize the clocks of computers over a network. Configuring NTP on a Junos device ensures that its clock is set accurately, which is crucial for logging, troubleshooting, and maintaining the integrity of time-sensitive operations and security protocols. NTP allows devices to use a hierarchy of time sources, from primary servers synchronized to a reference clock (such as an atomic clock or GPS time) to secondary servers that distribute the time to other devices on the network.

In the default configuration of a Junos device, the primary system log file is "messages" (B). This log file contains a wide range of system messages, including operational status changes, system errors, and other critical information, making it a key resource for troubleshooting and monitoring the system's health.

In Junos OS, the # prompt indicates that you are in configuration mode. This mode is used for making changes to the configuration of the device.

The Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) in Juniper Networks devices is the heart of the data plane, handling the actual forwarding of packets based on pre-computed forwarding tables. It provides several critical services to manage and control traffic flow, including policing (to enforce bandwidth limits for certain traffic types), stateless firewall filtering (to permit or deny traffic based on predefined criteria), and Class of Service (CoS) (to prioritize traffic to ensure quality of service for critical applications). The PFE utilizes both Layer 2 (MAC addresses) and Layer 3 (IP addresses) forwarding tables to make intelligent forwarding decisions, ensuring that packets are efficiently routed toward their final destination.

The clear log ospf-trace command on a Juniper Networks router is used specifically to manage the contents of the log file named ospf-trace. Executing this command clears or deletes the existing data within the ospf-trace log file but does not stop the logging process. The router continues to log new OSPF-related events and data into this file after the command is executed. This functionality is crucial for troubleshooting and monitoring the OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) protocol's operation by allowing network administrators to remove old or irrelevant log data while continuously capturing new events without interruption.

In Junos OS, a policer is a feature used to limit the rate of traffic flow in the network, including exception traffic sent from the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) to the Routing Engine (RE). Exception traffic consists of packets that cannot be processed by the PFE alone and require intervention by the RE, such as control packets or packets destined for the device itself. A policer can be configured to enforce bandwidth limits and drop or mark packets that exceed specified rate limits, thus protecting the RE from being overwhelmed by excessive exception traffic.

To recover the root password on a Junos router without losing the configuration, you should (A) enter and commit the new root password once you have gained access to the system, (D) hit the space bar to interrupt the boot process and enter recovery mode when prompted during the boot process, and (E) use a console connection to reboot the device and access the bootloader prompt. These steps allow you to reset the root password while preserving the existing configuration.

The Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) in Junos OS performs several key functions, including implementing firewall filters (A) and forwarding transit traffic (C). The PFE applies firewall filter rules to incoming and outgoing traffic and is responsible for the high-speed forwarding of packets based on the information in the forwarding table.

The routing table and forwarding table play distinct roles in a Junos OS device. The correct answers are A and D. The routing table (A) is used by the Routing Engine (RE) to select the best route among all the learned routes, while the routing table (D) stores all routes and prefixes learned from all routing protocols. The forwarding table, in contrast, contains only the active routes chosen by the RE and is used by the Packet Forwarding Engine for actual packet forwarding.

Exception traffic includes traffic that is not simply forwarded by the router but requires special handling, such as routing updates (B) and log messages (C). These types of traffic are processed by the router's control plane rather than just being forwarded through the data plane.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is known for being connectionless (D) and providing best-effort delivery without the reliability mechanisms present in TCP (C). This means that UDP does not establish a connection before sending data and does not guarantee delivery, order, or error checking, making it faster but less reliable than TCP.

In Junos OS, the management daemon (mgd) is responsible for handling all the device management tasks, including processing CLI commands and handling commit operations. The mgd daemon interacts with the Junos OS configuration database and provides the necessary logic to ensure that configuration changes are syntactically correct and do not conflict with each other. When a user commits a configuration, mgd validates the changes, applies them to the running configuration, and ensures that the necessary daemons are notified of the changes to apply them accordingly.

If you've committed a configuration and then need to revert to the previous configuration, the rollback command is used. Since the incorrect IP address has not been committed, as indicated by the commit check command being successful, issuing rollback 1 will undo the changes made in the current session, which includes the accidental entry of the IP address.

The Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) is an integral component of Juniper Networks devices, responsible for the data plane operations. The data plane, also known as the forwarding plane, is where the actual processing and forwarding of packets occur based on the routing and forwarding tables. The PFE executes the forwarding decisions made by the Routing Engine (RE), handling all packet transmissions, including routing, filtering, and switching packets towards their destination. This contrasts with the control plane operations handled by the RE, which involve routing table maintenance, system management, and control protocol processing.

The Routing Protocol Daemon (rpd) in Junos OS is responsible for maintaining routing protocols and tables. It handles all routing information, including the calculation of routes and the population of the routing table, making it crucial for dynamic routing operations.

The monitor interface traffic command in Junos OS is used to view real-time interface statistics, such as bandwidth utilization (input and output rate), error counters, and packet counts. Unlike the show interfaces commands, which provide static, snapshot-based details, the monitor command displays continuously updated traffic data until the session is stopped.

From Junos OS Documentation:

“The monitor interface traffic command displays real-time statistics about traffic utilization on the specified interfaces. By default, statistics are displayed for all interfaces at regular intervals until you exit the command.”

Layer 2 network switches are crucial components in local area networks (LANs), providing multiple functions for data packet forwarding and network segmentation. One inherent characteristic of switches is their susceptibility to traffic loops, especially in networks with redundant paths. Without proper loop prevention protocols like Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), loops can cause broadcast storms and network instability. Additionally, switches inherently flood broadcast traffic to all ports within the broadcast domain, except the port on which the broadcast was received. This is because broadcast frames are meant to be delivered to all devices within the VLAN, and the switch ensures this by flooding these frames to all ports in the VLAN, except the source port.

The request system zeroize media command on a Junos device securely erases all data, including configuration and log files, and resets the device to its factory default settings. This command is used when redeploying a device to ensure no residual data remains from its previous deployment. It's a comprehensive and secure way to clear all configurations and data, making the device as if it were new. The other commands listed do not perform a full reset to factory defaults; for example, show system storage displays storage information, and request system storage cleanup offers to delete unnecessary files without resetting the device to factory settings.

In a Juniper Networks device, the Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) processes unicast traffic by forwarding it according to the existing entries in the forwarding table. When the PFE encounters unicast traffic destined for an address that has a corresponding entry in the forwarding table, it directs the traffic through a specific outgoing interface or port toward its destination. This process is based on the most efficient path determined by the routing protocols in use, ensuring that the packet reaches its intended destination through a singular path, unless specific configurations such as load balancing are in place.

CSMA/CD is the access method used in classic Ethernet (half-duplex). Its main functions:

Carrier Sense: A device listens to the medium to check if another device is transmitting before sending (avoiding collisions).

Collision Detection: If two devices transmit at the same time, they detect the collision, stop, and wait a random backoff period before retrying.

Devices can either transmit or receive at a given time (half-duplex), not both simultaneously.

Thus, correct answers:

✔ A – Listen before transmit.

✔ B – Devices can either transmit or receive.

Options C and D are incorrect:

CSMA/CD is a half-duplex protocol, not full-duplex.

Full-duplex eliminates collisions and no longer uses CSMA/CD.

From JNCIA-Junos Study Guide:

“CSMA/CD requires that devices sense the wire before transmitting. Devices can either transmit or receive, but not both at the same time.”

In Junos OS, there are two main configuration databases:

Candidate configuration: a working copy of the configuration that holds any uncommitted changes. All configuration edits are made here.

Active configuration: the running configuration that the system currently uses.

When you issue a commit command, the candidate configuration is promoted to active, replacing the previous configuration. Until that happens, all changes remain in the candidate configuration and do not affect device operation.

From Junos Fundamentals Guide:

“The candidate configuration is a separate copy of the configuration database. All changes are made to the candidate configuration and do not take effect until they are committed.”

Traceoptions in Junos OS are used for detailed debugging and troubleshooting of protocols and processes within the system. They are not enabled by default due to the potential performance impact and volume of data generated. Instead, traceoptions are enabled through specific configuration settings under the relevant protocol or process hierarchy. This allows administrators to target their troubleshooting efforts and control the scope of logging. By default, the output generated by traceoptions is stored in files located in the /var/log directory, with the file name typically specified in the traceoptions configuration. This structured approach to logging and debugging helps in diagnosing complex issues without overwhelming the system or the administrator with irrelevant data.

A Layer 3 router forwards packets based on the destination IP address. It operates at the network layer of the OSI model and uses routing tables to determine the best path for packet delivery. Unlike Layer 2 switches, which forward packets based on MAC addresses, routers handle logical addressing, making them crucial for inter-network communication.

In the scenario where the system authentication order is set to "tacplus radius password," the correct statement is (B). If the TACACS+ and RADIUS servers are unreachable or fail to respond, the system will fall back to using password authentication. This ensures that users can still authenticate using locally stored passwords if external authentication servers are unavailable.

The Packet Forwarding Engine (PFE) in Junos OS is responsible for maintaining the forwarding table. The PFE processes incoming packets, performs route lookups in the forwarding table, and forwards packets based on this information, offloading these tasks from the Routing Engine to ensure efficient packet forwarding.

In the Junos OS, multiple software processes run independently in their own protected memory spaces. This design ensures that if one process crashes or encounters an issue, it does not affect the other processes running on the system. This architecture enhances the stability and reliability of the network device, as each process operates independently and securely.

Referring to the exhibit, the presence of the "+" symbol next to the OSPF route for 192.168.100.2/32 indicates that this is the active route being used to forward traffic. The BGP route, although present, does not have the "+" symbol, indicating it is not the active route. In Junos OS, the routing table displays the active route with a "+" symbol, and the fact that the OSPF route has this symbol means it is the preferred path based on the routing protocol's decision process, which takes into account factors such as route preference (administrative distance) and metrics.

Link-state routing protocols are a type of routing protocol used in packet-switching networks for finding the best path between source and destination. OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) and IS-IS (Intermediate System to Intermediate System) are both examples of link-state routing protocols. They work by maintaining a complete map or topology of the network, allowing routers to independently calculate the best path to each destination. Unlike distance-vector protocols like RIP, link-state protocols are more efficient and scalable, making them suitable for larger networks.