A rollout team is installing 80 new Catalyst 9200 switches in a warehouse where nobody will have console access for the first boot. The switches arrive with the correct image but no configuration, the corporate DHCP server cannot be changed this quarter and does not advertise provisioning options, DNS can be configured for PnP discovery, and Catalyst Center manages the site. Which Day 0 provisioning method fits this warehouse rollout?

Cisco PnP with DNS discovery fits because the unconfigured switches can locate the PnP service without changing the corporate DHCP server or using console access. Catalyst Center manages the site and can provide the Day 0 configuration after discovery; because the correct image is already installed, image deployment is not a prerequisite. USB-based provisioning is a credible alternative when you can load a prepared configuration locally, but it does not use Catalyst Center to deliver the Day 0 configuration for this centrally managed rollout. A standalone Cisco PnP server can also onboard switches through DNS, but directing discovery there bypasses Catalyst Center as the provisioning authority. LAN Automation is a valid Catalyst Center workflow for qualifying fabric deployments, but it depends on the site being prepared for that workflow, including a suitable seed and fabric design; those prerequisites are not established here. Exam caveat: PnP discovery depends on the DNS record and service behavior supported by the switch release, so configured DNS alone does not prove discovery is validated. Practical check: before rollout, verify that the Catalyst Center PnP service’s DNS name resolves from the switch management network, then test discovery and configuration download on a representative Catalyst 9200.