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In IS-IS, what is the primary distinction between a Level 1 (L1) router and a Level 2 (L2) router?

A
B
C
D
to track
2026 Statistics

Key Facts: JNCIS-SP Exam

~65 Q

Exam Questions

Juniper JN0-363

90 min

Time Limit

Juniper Networks

~65%

Est. Passing Score

Industry Estimate

$300

Exam Fee

Pearson VUE

3 years

Certification Valid

Juniper Networks

JNCIA-Junos

Prerequisite

Juniper Networks

The JNCIS-SP (JN0-363) exam tests specialist-level SP networking on Junos. It covers IS-IS (L1/L2, wide metrics, TLVs), OSPF (all LSA types, NSSA, virtual links), BGP (iBGP/eBGP, route reflectors, confederations, policy), MPLS (LDP, RSVP-TE, FRR), and L3VPN (VRF, RD, RT, MP-BGP). Administered by Pearson VUE. Prerequisites: JNCIA-Junos certification required.

Sample JNCIS-SP Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your JNCIS-SP exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1In IS-IS, what is the primary distinction between a Level 1 (L1) router and a Level 2 (L2) router?
A.L1 routers route within an area; L2 routers route between areas and form the IS-IS backbone
B.L1 routers use OSPF-compatible LSAs; L2 routers use NLPID-tagged PDUs
C.L1 routers only advertise IPv6 prefixes; L2 routers only advertise IPv4 prefixes
D.L1 routers require manual neighbor discovery; L2 routers use automatic adjacency
Explanation: IS-IS uses a two-level hierarchy. Level 1 routers maintain intra-area topology and route to destinations within their area, forwarding all other traffic to an L2 router (the closest exit). Level 2 routers maintain the inter-area backbone topology and exchange routing information with other L2 and L1/L2 routers across the network.
2Which IS-IS PDU type is used to describe the local link-state database and is flooded throughout the IS-IS domain?
A.Link State PDU (LSP)
B.Hello PDU (IIH)
C.Complete Sequence Number PDU (CSNP)
D.Partial Sequence Number PDU (PSNP)
Explanation: Link State PDUs (LSPs) carry topology and reachability information and are flooded to all routers within the same level. Each router generates its own LSP and re-floods received LSPs to ensure all routers have a consistent link-state database. IIHs form adjacencies, CSNPs summarize the database on broadcast links, and PSNPs request missing LSPs.
3What is the purpose of IS-IS wide metrics, and what is the maximum metric value they support?
A.Wide metrics extend the metric range to 16,777,214 to support traffic engineering and MPLS-TE
B.Wide metrics allow IS-IS to advertise up to 65,535 prefixes per LSP
C.Wide metrics enable IS-IS to support more than 1,024 neighbors per router
D.Wide metrics replace TLV 2 with TLV 22 and limit the metric to 255
Explanation: IS-IS narrow (original) metrics are limited to a maximum of 63 per link and 1,023 end-to-end. Wide metrics (RFC 3784 / draft-ietf-isis-traffic) extended this to 16,777,214 per link and 0xFFFFFFFE end-to-end, enabling TE-metric support needed for MPLS traffic engineering. Junos uses TLV 22 (Extended IS Reachability) and TLV 135 (Extended IP Reachability) for wide metrics.
4On a Junos router, which IS-IS TLV carries extended IP reachability information used for wide metrics?
A.TLV 135
B.TLV 128
C.TLV 2
D.TLV 22
Explanation: TLV 135 (Extended IP Reachability) carries IPv4 prefix information with wide metrics (32-bit metric field) and supports sub-TLVs for TE attributes. TLV 128 carries IP Internal Reachability with narrow metrics. TLV 2 carries IS Reachability (narrow). TLV 22 carries Extended IS Reachability (wide metrics for adjacencies, not prefixes).
5Which IS-IS TLV carries the router's NET (Network Entity Title) and system ID?
A.TLV 240 (P2P Adjacency State)
B.TLV 1 (Area Addresses)
C.TLV 10 (Authentication)
D.TLV 22 (Extended IS Reachability)
Explanation: TLV 1 (Area Addresses) carries the area portion of the NET, identifying which IS-IS area the router belongs to. The system ID is encoded in the LSP header itself (LSPID field), not in a TLV. TLV 240 signals point-to-point adjacency state, TLV 10 carries authentication data, and TLV 22 carries extended IS reachability.
6In OSPF, which LSA type is generated by an ABR and describes routes that are external to an area but internal to the OSPF domain?
A.Type 3 (Summary LSA)
B.Type 4 (ASBR Summary LSA)
C.Type 5 (AS External LSA)
D.Type 7 (NSSA External LSA)
Explanation: Type 3 LSAs (Network Summary LSAs) are originated by Area Border Routers (ABRs) to advertise inter-area routes. They summarize prefixes from other areas into the receiving area, carrying the cost from the ABR to the destination. Type 5 LSAs carry routes redistributed from outside the OSPF domain, Type 4 locates the ASBR, and Type 7 carries external routes through NSSA areas.
7What is the key difference between an OSPF stub area and a totally stubby area?
A.A stub area blocks Type 5 LSAs; a totally stubby area blocks Type 3, 4, and 5 LSAs — replacing them with a single default route
B.A stub area blocks Type 3 LSAs; a totally stubby area blocks only Type 5 LSAs
C.A totally stubby area is used only on Cisco equipment; Junos uses stub areas exclusively
D.A stub area injects a default route via Type 7; a totally stubby area uses Type 5 for the default
Explanation: Both stub and totally stubby areas block Type 5 (and Type 4) LSAs from entering. The difference is that totally stubby areas additionally block Type 3 inter-area LSAs, leaving only a single Type 3 default route (0.0.0.0/0) from the ABR. This minimizes the LSDB size in hub-and-spoke designs where spoke routers don't need detailed routing tables.
8In OSPF, what is an NSSA (Not-So-Stubby Area) and which LSA type does it introduce?
A.An NSSA blocks external Type 5 LSAs from the backbone but allows an ASBR inside the NSSA to redistribute external routes using Type 7 LSAs, which the ABR converts to Type 5
B.An NSSA blocks all LSA types except Type 1 and Type 2, using Type 7 to carry backbone routes
C.An NSSA allows Type 5 external LSAs to flood freely but limits Type 3 to a summary default
D.An NSSA uses Type 8 LSAs to replace both Type 5 and Type 7 at the ABR
Explanation: NSSAs combine the benefits of stub areas (no Type 5 flooding from the backbone) with the ability to have a local ASBR. The ASBR inside the NSSA generates Type 7 LSAs, which are flooded only within the NSSA. The ABR at the NSSA boundary translates Type 7 to Type 5 LSAs for propagation into the rest of the OSPF domain.
9What is the purpose of an OSPF virtual link?
A.To connect a partitioned area to the backbone (Area 0) through a non-backbone transit area
B.To carry OSPF routing information over an MPLS LSP between two PE routers
C.To establish an OSPF neighbor relationship across a BGP peering session
D.To redistribute IS-IS routes into OSPF without an ASBR
Explanation: OSPF requires all areas to be directly connected to Area 0 (backbone). If an area cannot directly connect to Area 0, a virtual link is configured through a transit area to logically extend Area 0. The virtual link runs across the transit area as a point-to-point unnumbered link and must be configured on both ABRs.
10Which OSPF authentication method provides the strongest security for OSPF neighbor relationships on Junos?
A.MD5 authentication using a shared key configured under the OSPF area or interface
B.Simple (plain-text) password authentication
C.IPsec AH authentication applied to OSPF packets
D.No authentication, relying on network segmentation alone
Explanation: Junos OSPF supports simple (plain-text) and MD5 authentication. MD5 uses a cryptographic hash of the OSPF packet contents plus a shared key, making it significantly harder to forge OSPF packets compared to plain-text passwords. MD5 is the recommended method on Junos SP deployments. IPsec can also protect OSPF but is not a native OSPF authentication option.

About the JNCIS-SP Exam

The JNCIS-SP validates specialist-level knowledge of routing and switching in Juniper Networks service provider environments. It covers IS-IS, OSPF, BGP, MPLS (LDP and RSVP-TE), L3VPN, L2VPN, multicast, and Junos OS operations on MX and PTX platforms.

Questions

65 scored questions

Time Limit

90 minutes

Passing Score

65%

Exam Fee

$300 (Juniper Networks / Pearson VUE)

JNCIS-SP Exam Content Outline

~20%

Junos Fundamentals & Operations

Junos CLI, commit model, rollback, traceoptions, routing table hierarchy, RE vs PFE

~20%

IS-IS

IS-IS levels, PDU types, TLVs, wide metrics, DIS, flooding, ATT bit

~20%

OSPF

LSA types, area types (stub/totally-stubby/NSSA), virtual links, DR/BDR, authentication

~25%

BGP

iBGP/eBGP, route reflectors, confederations, path selection, policy language, communities, MED, local-preference

~15%

MPLS & VPN Services

LDP, RSVP-TE, FRR, L3VPN (VRF, RD, RT), L2VPN basics, multicast (PIM-SM, IGMP)

How to Pass the JNCIS-SP Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 65%
  • Exam length: 65 questions
  • Time limit: 90 minutes
  • Exam fee: $300

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

JNCIS-SP Study Tips from Top Performers

1Master the Junos commit model: candidate config, commit, commit confirmed, rollback, commit check — these appear in multiple exam questions
2Know all BGP path selection steps in order (local-preference → AS path → origin → MED → eBGP > iBGP → IGP metric → router ID) — this is frequently tested
3Understand the difference between Route Distinguisher (makes VPN prefixes unique) and Route Target (controls VRF import/export policy) in L3VPN
4Practice reading IS-IS TLV types: TLV 1 (area addresses), TLV 2 (IS neighbors narrow), TLV 22 (IS neighbors wide), TLV 128 (IP reachability narrow), TLV 135 (IP reachability wide)
5Memorize key Junos show commands: show isis adjacency, show ospf neighbor, show bgp summary, show mpls lsp, show ldp neighbor, show route table mpls.0, show route table inet.3
6Understand the two-label stack in MPLS L3VPN: outer transport label (LDP/RSVP-TE) + inner VPN label (MP-BGP), and how PHP removes the outer label at the penultimate hop

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the JNCIS-SP exam (JN0-363) and who is it for?

The JNCIS-SP (JN0-363) is Juniper Networks' Specialist-level certification for Service Provider routing and switching on Junos OS. It is designed for network engineers who configure and operate Junos-based SP networks (MX Series, PTX Series) with expertise in IS-IS, OSPF, BGP, MPLS, and VPN services. It is the prerequisite for the JNCIP-SP (Professional) certification.

What are the prerequisites for the JNCIS-SP?

Juniper requires passing the JNCIA-Junos (JN0-103) exam before taking the JNCIS-SP (JN0-363). The JNCIA-Junos validates foundational Junos knowledge. JNCIS-SP then builds on that foundation with SP-specific routing protocols (IS-IS, OSPF, BGP) and MPLS/VPN services.

How many questions are on the JNCIS-SP exam and what is the passing score?

The JNCIS-SP (JN0-363) exam contains approximately 65 multiple-choice questions with a 90-minute time limit. Juniper does not publish an exact passing score, but industry sources estimate approximately 65% or higher is required. The exam is taken at Pearson VUE testing centers or via online proctoring.

What topics are most important for the JNCIS-SP?

The highest-weight topics are BGP (iBGP/eBGP, route reflectors, path selection, policy) and IS-IS/OSPF fundamentals. MPLS (LDP vs RSVP-TE, FRR) and L3VPN (RD, RT, VRF, MP-BGP) are also heavily tested. Junos CLI operational commands for SP troubleshooting (show isis adjacency, show ospf neighbor, show bgp summary, show mpls lsp) appear frequently.

How does the JNCIS-SP compare to the Cisco CCNP SP?

Both certifications cover SP-level routing (IS-IS, OSPF, BGP, MPLS, VPN) but differ in vendor focus. JNCIS-SP focuses on Junos OS, MX/PTX platforms, and Junos-specific CLI and policy language. CCNP SP focuses on Cisco IOS XR/XE. JNCIS-SP is considered similar in difficulty to CCNP SP but has a narrower scope (one vendor). Engineers in Juniper-based SP environments should pursue JNCIS-SP; Cisco-heavy environments should pursue CCNP SP.