350-601 Storage Network Practice Test 10 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A storage engineer is troubleshooting a performance issue on a Fibre Channel link between a Cisco MDS switch and a storage array. The link is experiencing buffer credit starvation. The engineer has already verified that the physical layer is clean and there are no errors. Which action should the engineer take to alleviate the buffer credit starvation without disrupting existing traffic?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Configure additional buffer credits on the switch port using the fcrxbbcredit command.. Buffer credit starvation occurs when the receiver does not have enough credits to grant to the sender, limiting the number of frames that can be in flight. The fcrxbbcredit command on Cisco MDS switches allows you to configure the number of receive buffer credits on a port. Increasing this value can provide more credits to the sender, alleviating the starvation. This action can be taken without disrupting traffic if the port supports it. Other options do not directly increase buffer credits.

Answer

Enable QoS and assign a higher priority to the storage traffic.

Answer

Enable trunking on the link to aggregate multiple physical links.

Answer

Increase the MTU size on the link to allow larger frames.

Question 2

A network engineer is configuring a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch for the first time. The engineer needs to assign a port to VSAN 5 and enable it. Which command sequence accomplishes this task?

Accepted Answer

switch(config)# interface fc1/1 ; switch(config-if)# switchport mode F ; switch(config-if)# switchport access vsan 5 ; switch(config-if)# no shutdown. The correct command sequence enters interface configuration, sets the port mode to F, assigns the port to VSAN 5 as an access port, and enables it. This is the standard way to configure a port for host connectivity on a Cisco MDS switch. The other options either use incorrect port modes or omit necessary commands.

Answer

switch(config)# interface fc1/1 ; switch(config-if)# switchport mode E ; switch(config-if)# switchport trunk allowed vsan 5 ; switch(config-if)# no shutdown

Answer

switch(config)# interface fc1/1 ; switch(config-if)# switchport mode NP ; switch(config-if)# switchport access vsan 5 ; switch(config-if)# no shutdown

Answer

switch(config)# vsan database ; switch(config-vsan-db)# vsan 5 interface fc1/1 ; switch(config-vsan-db)# exit ; switch(config)# interface fc1/1 ; switch(config-if)# no shutdown

Question 3

A storage engineer is configuring a Cisco MDS 9000 switch to connect to a tape library. The tape library requires a dedicated VSAN for backup traffic. The engineer creates VSAN 10 and assigns ports to it. Which command must be used to verify that the VSAN is active and ports are assigned correctly?

Accepted Answer

show vsan membership. The 'show vsan membership' command is used to verify VSAN membership and port assignments. It displays which ports are assigned to each VSAN and the operational state of the VSAN. This directly addresses the engineer's need to confirm that VSAN 10 is active and ports are correctly assigned.

Answer

show interface fc1/1

Answer

show flogi database

Answer

show zone status

Question 4

A storage administrator is implementing Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR) on a Cisco MDS 9000 Series switch to allow a host in VSAN 10 to access a tape library in VSAN 20. The administrator has configured IVR zoning and enabled IVR. However, the host cannot see the tape library. The administrator verifies that the VSANs are up and the zoneset is active in both VSANs. Which additional step is required to allow the host to access the tape library?

Accepted Answer

Configure an IVR zone and add it to the active IVR zoneset.. IVR requires its own zoning configuration separate from standard VSAN zoning. An IVR zone must be created that includes the host in VSAN 10 and the tape library in VSAN 20, and this IVR zone must be added to an active IVR zoneset. Without this, IVR will not permit traffic between the VSANs, even if standard zoning is correct. Enabling NPIV, static routes, or common zones in one VSAN do not apply.

Answer

Enable NPIV on the host's VSAN.

Answer

Add the host and tape library to a common zone in VSAN 10.

Answer

Configure a static route between the VSANs.

Question 5

A network administrator is configuring a Cisco MDS 9000 switch and needs to verify the current zoning configuration. The administrator wants to see all zones and their members in the active zone set. Which command should be used?

Accepted Answer

show zone active. The command 'show zone active' lists all zones in the active zone set and their members. This provides a detailed view of the current zoning configuration, which is necessary for verification. Other commands like 'show zoneset active' only show the zone set name and zones, not members. 'show zone' without parameters may not show the active zone set comprehensively. 'show flogi database' is unrelated to zoning.

Answer

show zone

Answer

show flogi database

Answer

show zoneset active

Question 6

A data center engineer is configuring a Cisco Nexus 9000 series switch with FCoE connectivity to a Cisco MDS 9000 switch. The engineer wants to ensure that FCoE frames are correctly mapped to the correct VSAN. Which component is responsible for mapping FCoE frames to a VSAN?

Accepted Answer

The Fibre Channel Forwarder (FCF). The Fibre Channel Forwarder (FCF) is responsible for mapping FCoE frames to a VSAN. When FCoE frames arrive from an ENode, the FCF decapsulates them and assigns the appropriate VSAN based on the configured FCoE VLAN-to-VSAN mapping. This mapping is configured on the FCF, typically a Cisco Nexus 9000 or MDS switch, using the 'fcoe vsan' command under the VLAN interface.

Answer

The Cisco VIC adapter

Answer

The FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) snooping bridge

Answer

The FCoE VLAN

Question 7

A network engineer is setting up a new Fibre Channel fabric using Cisco MDS 9000 Series switches. The engineer wants to ensure that the fabric can automatically assign domain IDs and manage fabric configuration. Which protocol is responsible for electing a principal switch and distributing domain IDs in a Fibre Channel fabric?

Accepted Answer

Fabric Configuration Server (FCS) with principal switch selection. In a Fibre Channel fabric, the Fabric Configuration Server (FCS) handles principal switch election and domain ID distribution. When switches interconnect, they use FCS to determine the principal switch, which then assigns unique domain IDs. This is a fundamental fabric service. FSPF is for routing, FLOGI is for end-device login, and PLOGI is for port-to-port communication.

Answer

FLOGI (Fabric Login)

Answer

PLOGI (Port Login)

Answer

FSPF (Fabric Shortest Path First)

Question 8

A data center team is deploying a new Cisco MDS 9000 switch in NPV mode to connect servers to an existing core Fibre Channel fabric. After configuration, the servers connected to the NPV switch cannot log in to the core fabric. The engineer verifies that the NPV switch's uplink is operational and that the core switch port is configured correctly. Which two actions should the engineer take to allow the servers to log in? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Enable NPIV on the core switch port that connects to the NPV switch.. NPV allows an edge switch to proxy fabric logins from servers to a core fabric. For this to work, the core switch port must have NPIV enabled so it can accept multiple virtual N_Port logins, and the NPV switch's uplink must be an NP_Port. Without NPIV on the core port, only one login is accepted, and without the NP_Port uplink, the NPV switch cannot forward server logins.

Answer

Configure the NPV switch's uplink as an F_Port on the core switch.

Answer

Enable NPIV on the NPV switch's server-facing ports.

Answer

Configure the core switch port as an NP_Port to accept NPV traffic.

Question 9

A network engineer is configuring a Cisco MDS 9000 switch and needs to verify which VSAN a specific interface belongs to. The engineer wants to ensure that interface fc1/1 is a member of VSAN 10 and that the VSAN is active. Which command should the engineer use to display this information?

Accepted Answer

show interface fc1/1. The 'show interface fc1/1' command provides interface-specific details, including the VSAN to which the port is assigned and whether the port is operational. This directly answers the engineer's need to verify that fc1/1 belongs to VSAN 10 and is active. Commands that display membership lists, FLOGI entries, or zone sets do not give the same focused interface-level confirmation.

Answer

show zone active vsan 10

Answer

show flogi database vsan 10

Answer

show vsan membership

Question 10

A data center administrator is configuring a Cisco MDS 9000 switch for the first time. The administrator needs to assign a port to a specific VSAN. Which command is used to assign a Fibre Channel interface to a VSAN?

Accepted Answer

vsan. To assign a Fibre Channel interface to a VSAN, you enter interface configuration mode for that port and use the vsan command followed by the VSAN ID. This sets the port's VSAN membership. The vsan database command is used for creating VSANs and can also assign interfaces, but the direct method is the vsan command under the interface. Trunking is for carrying multiple VSANs, not for assigning a single VSAN.

Answer

interface vsan

Answer

switchport mode trunk

Answer

vsan database

Question 11

An engineer is configuring a Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) SAN. Which statement about FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) is true?

Accepted Answer

FIP uses Ethernet MAC addresses for communication.. FCoE Initialization Protocol (FIP) uses Ethernet MAC addresses for communication during the discovery, initialization, and maintenance phases of an FCoE session. FIP frames are encapsulated in standard Ethernet frames with a specific EtherType (0x8914), allowing FCoE-capable endpoints to discover each other and establish virtual links without relying on IP addresses.

Answer

FIP operates only over lossless Ethernet.

Answer

FIP is used only for FCoE initialization, not for maintenance.

Answer

FIP requires IP addresses to establish FCoE sessions.

Question 12

A storage administrator needs to ensure that a Fibre Channel zone configuration is operationally effective without disrupting the current active zone set. Which approach should be used?

Accepted Answer

Create the new zone configuration in the defined configuration, then activate it as a new zone set.. In Cisco MDS Fibre Channel SANs, zone configurations are created in the defined configuration and then activated as a new zone set. This approach ensures that the current active zone set remains operational and unaffected during the configuration process, preventing any disruption to existing traffic. Only when the new zone set is explicitly activated does it replace the active set, allowing for a controlled cutover.

Answer

Delete the active zone set and create a new one.

Answer

Edit the active zone set directly.

Answer

Use the 'commit' command to update the zone set.

Question 13

A data center deployment uses NPV mode on a Cisco MDS switch to connect to a core Fibre Channel switch. After configuration, the NPV switch does not register with the core. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

NPIV is not enabled on the core switch.. NPV (N_Port Virtualization) mode requires NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization) to be enabled on the core Fibre Channel switch. NPIV allows a single physical N_Port to register multiple FCIDs (Fibre Channel IDs) for multiple virtual initiators behind the NPV switch. Without NPIV on the core, the NPV switch cannot complete the FLOGI (Fabric Login) process and will not register with the fabric.

Answer

Fibre Channel ports are in trunk mode.

Answer

The core switch has NPV mode enabled.

Answer

The NPV switch has an incorrect domain ID.

Question 14

An engineer is tuning performance for a storage network. Which two practices improve FC SAN performance?

Accepted Answer

Using single-initiator zoning.. Option B (single-initiator zoning) is correct because zoning each initiator with only its intended target(s) limits the number of devices sharing a zone, reducing unnecessary fabric traffic and RSCN (Registered State Change Notification) propagation, which improves overall SAN performance and stability. Option C (ensuring adequate buffer credits) is correct because Fibre Channel uses a credit-based flow control mechanism; if a port has too few buffer credits for the link distance and speed, it cannot keep the link fully utilized, so provisioning sufficient credits (especially over long-distance ISLs) is essential to sustain throughput. Option A is wrong because disabling flow control removes the buffer-credit mechanism that prevents frame loss and congestion, degrading rather than improving performance. Option D is wrong because broadcast zoning allows broadcast/RSCN traffic to reach many ports, increasing unnecessary traffic and disrupting hosts. Option E is wrong because maximizing the fabric login timeout only delays error detection and recovery; it does not improve throughput or latency.

Answer

Disabling flow control.

Answer

Enabling broadcast zoning.

Answer

Setting fabric login timeout to the maximum.

Question 15

A SAN administrator notices intermittent connectivity issues between an initiator and target. The Fibre Channel link shows CRC errors. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Faulty SFP or fiber optic cable.. CRC errors on a Fibre Channel link indicate physical-layer issues such as signal degradation, dirty connectors, or faulty hardware. The most common cause is a faulty SFP module or damaged fiber optic cable, which introduces bit errors that the CRC check detects. This is the first component to verify when troubleshooting intermittent connectivity with CRC errors.

Answer

Incorrect domain ID.

Answer

Buffer credit starvation.

Answer

Incorrect zone configuration.