Disadvantages of Using Cisco TFTP Service for IP Phone Load Files

Disadvantages of Using Cisco TFTP Service

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Question

Which statement describes a disadvantage of using the Cisco TFTP service to serve IP phone load files?

Answers

A. The Cisco TFTP services can run on only one Cisco Unified Communications Manager server in a cluster.

B. Because TFTP operates on top of UDP, there is a high risk of corrupted load file delivery at the completion of the TFTP process due to undetected data loss in the network.

C. If a response is not received in the timeout period, the TFTP server will not resend the data packet.

D. Packet loss can significantly increase the TFTP session completion time.

E. Because TFTP operates with an adaptive timeout period, the time to complete the file transfer is unpredictable.

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Explanations

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A. B. C. D. E.

Voice traffic cannot recapture lost packets.

Rather than retransmitting a lost network connection, the phone resets and attempts to reconnect its network connection.

References: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/docs/voice_ip_comm/cuipph/6921_6941_6961/7_1_2/english/admin/guide/6921trb.html#wp1031181

The correct answer for this question is B: Because TFTP operates on top of UDP, there is a high risk of corrupted load file delivery at the completion of the TFTP process due to undetected data loss in the network.

The Trivial File Transfer Protocol (TFTP) is a simple protocol that is used to transfer files between network devices, especially in environments where file transfer speed is not a critical concern. TFTP is widely used in the Cisco Unified Communications Manager (CUCM) environment to serve IP phone firmware files. While TFTP is a simple protocol, it has some disadvantages that can negatively impact the performance of a CUCM cluster.

One disadvantage of using TFTP to serve IP phone load files is that it operates on top of the User Datagram Protocol (UDP), which is a connectionless protocol. UDP does not guarantee packet delivery or provide error checking, which makes it vulnerable to packet loss, packet duplication, and packet corruption. Since TFTP does not have any built-in error checking or recovery mechanisms, packet loss or corruption during the transfer process can result in an incomplete or corrupted file transfer. This can cause the IP phones to fail to upgrade or fail to operate properly.

Another disadvantage of TFTP is its lack of security. TFTP does not support any type of authentication or encryption. This means that the files transferred through TFTP are transmitted in clear text, making them vulnerable to interception, tampering, or theft.

In summary, while TFTP is a simple and widely used protocol, it has some disadvantages that can negatively impact the performance and security of a CUCM environment. The high risk of corrupted load file delivery due to undetected data loss in the network is one of the major disadvantages of using the Cisco TFTP service to serve IP phone load files.

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