What is the order of operation for matching a RADIUS request to a policy set?

The correct answer reflects how a RADIUS request is handled in terms of policy evaluation within Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). When a RADIUS request is received, ISE processes the policy sets by following a top-down approach. This means that it evaluates each policy rule starting from the first rule listed and continues down the list until it finds the first rule that matches the conditions of the incoming RADIUS request.

This method prioritizes the order in which rules are defined, ensuring that specific policies that are placed higher in the list take precedence over more general ones that may follow. By adopting this top-down matching strategy, administrators can have finer control over authentication and authorization processes, aligning them with organizational requirements and enabling efficient policy management.

Understanding this order of operations is crucial for effectively configuring Cisco ISE, as it can directly impact access control decisions based on the arranged policies.