350-601 Storage Network Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

Which THREE of the following are best practices for Fibre Channel zoning on Cisco MDS switches?

Accepted Answer

Make zones as specific as possible, avoiding device inclusion across multiple zones unnecessarily. Option A is correct because keeping zones as specific as possible (single-initiator, single-target or minimal membership) limits the number of devices that can see each other, reducing fabric disruption and security exposure when a device is added or removed. Option B is correct because WWPN-based zoning binds zone membership to the device's unique World Wide Port Name, so the configuration follows the device regardless of which physical switch port it is plugged into, unlike port-based (domain,port) zoning which breaks when a device is moved. Option D is correct because hard zoning enforces zone membership in the switch's hardware ACL/TCAM filtering, so frames from unauthorized ports are actually blocked rather than merely hidden from the name server. Option C is not a best practice as stated because the correct command to enable a zone set is 'zoneset activate name <zoneset>' (with the zone set name) in configuration mode, not 'zone activate'. Option E is not a best practice because soft zoning only filters name server responses and does not enforce access in hardware, so a host that knows the target's WWPN can still communicate outside its zone.

Answer

Always activate the zone set using the 'zone activate' command in configuration mode

Answer

Use soft zoning with name server response filtering

Question 2

Refer to the exhibit. A server connected to interface fc1/3 on the MDS switch cannot log in to the fabric. The server's HBA WWPN is 10:00:00:00:c9:2b:1a:62. What is the most likely reason for the login failure?

Accepted Answer

Interface fc1/3 is not assigned to VSAN 100. Interface fc1/3 is not assigned to VSAN 100, as shown in the exhibit (the interface is in VSAN 1 by default or another VSAN). Without being in the correct VSAN, the server's FLOGI (Fabric Login) request is processed in the wrong VSAN context, preventing it from logging into the fabric and accessing the intended storage targets. Assigning the interface to the correct VSAN is mandatory for successful fabric login.

Answer

NPIV is disabled on the port

Answer

The server's WWPN is not in the active zone set

Answer

The link speed is mismatched between switch and HBA

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. A server with WWPN 10:00:00:00:c9:2b:1a:5f is zoned to two storage ports in zone Server1_Storage1 and to one storage port in zone Server1_Storage2. The server can access the LUNs through the first zone but not through the second. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The second zone does not include the second storage controller's port. The server can access LUNs through zone Server1_Storage1 because both storage ports in that zone are from the same storage controller or are properly configured for multipathing. However, zone Server1_Storage2 contains only one storage port (20:00:00:00:c9:2b:1a:6c), and if that port belongs to a different storage controller that is not zoned with the server's WWPN correctly, or if the second storage controller's port is missing from the zone, the server cannot discover or access LUNs through that path. In Fibre Channel zoning, each zone must include the initiator and at least one target port from the storage controller that owns the LUNs; if the second zone omits the required storage controller port, access fails.

Answer

The storage port 20:00:00:00:c9:2b:1a:6c is in a different VSAN

Answer

The zone set has not been activated

Answer

The server is not allowed to be in multiple zones

Question 4

Refer to the exhibit. An engineer is troubleshooting poor FCoE performance. The exhibit shows output from the FCoE interface. Which observation indicates a potential issue?

Accepted Answer

PFC frames received is high compared to PFC frames sent. A high count of PFC frames received compared to PFC frames sent indicates that the local interface is receiving many pause frames from the peer, which suggests the peer is experiencing congestion and is forcing the local interface to pause its transmission. This asymmetry is a classic symptom of a buffer congestion or credit starvation issue in the FCoE SAN fabric, leading to poor FCoE performance.

Answer

The CRC error count is zero

Answer

Data frames are 1500 bytes, which is too small for FCoE

Answer

The admin port mode is F instead of NP

Question 5

An engineer notices that the LED of an FC interface is off on a Cisco MDS switch. The interface is up/up. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The link is up but the LED is disabled in software configuration.. On Cisco MDS switches, the interface LED can be administratively disabled via the `no led` command in interface configuration mode, even when the interface is fully operational (up/up). This allows operators to selectively turn off LEDs for troubleshooting or to reduce visual noise in a data center, without affecting traffic. The LED being off while the interface shows up/up directly points to this software-based LED disablement.

Answer

The port LED firmware is corrupted.

Answer

The interface is administratively down.

Answer

The SFP is faulty.

Question 6

A storage administrator needs to configure zoning while minimizing administrative overhead and allowing multiple initiators to access multiple targets without having to change zones when new members are added. Which zoning approach is best?

Accepted Answer

Zoning by naming using a zone alias for initiators and another for targets. Zoning by name using zone aliases decouples the zone configuration from the physical port or WWN, allowing administrators to group initiators and targets into separate aliases. When new members are added to an alias, the zone automatically includes them without manual zone reconfiguration, minimizing administrative overhead while supporting multiple initiators and multiple targets.

Answer

Multiple initiator-multiple target zoning (all devices in one zone)

Answer

Single initiator-single target zoning

Answer

Single initiator-multiple target zoning (initiator-based)

Question 7

A Cisco MDS switch is configured as an NPV switch to connect to a core switch. Which statement about NPV operation is true?

Accepted Answer

The NPV switch uses FDISC to register multiple N-Port IDs from a single physical link.. In N_Port Virtualization (NPV) mode, a Cisco MDS switch acts as a passthrough device that aggregates multiple end-device N_Ports onto a single uplink to a core Fibre Channel switch. The NPV switch uses the Fabric Discovery (FDISC) protocol to register multiple N_Port IDs (NPIV) from a single physical link, allowing each end device to obtain its own FC ID from the core switch. This is correct because NPV does not assign FC IDs itself but relies on the core switch for fabric login and address assignment.

Answer

The NPV switch allocates FC IDs to end devices from its own pool.

Answer

The NPV switch requires at least one VSAN to be defined as a fabric VSAN.

Answer

The NPV switch performs fabric login (FLOGI) on behalf of all attached end devices.

Question 8

An engineer needs to create a VSAN on a Cisco MDS switch with VSAN ID 50. Which command correctly creates the VSAN?

Accepted Answer

switch(config-vsan)# vsan 50. On Cisco MDS switches, to create a VSAN with ID 50, you must first enter VSAN database sub-mode using the 'vsan database' command from global configuration mode, then issue the 'vsan 50' command. This two-step process is required; the global configuration command 'vsan 50' (option B) is not valid. Option D only enters the VSAN database mode but does not create the VSAN. Option C incorrectly uses the 'interface vsan' command, which is used for IP storage services, not VSAN creation.

Answer

switch(config)# vsan 50

Answer

switch(config)# interface vsan 50

Answer

switch(config)# vsan database

Question 9

On a Cisco MDS 9700, an engineer configures an FC port channel with 4 member interfaces. The connected storage array also supports port channels. Which load-balancing algorithm provides the best distribution of I/O when the array uses multiple LUNs per target?

Accepted Answer

Source FC ID (OXID) and destination FC ID (RXID). The OXID (Originator Exchange ID) and RXID (Responder Exchange ID) provide per-exchange granularity, which distributes I/O across all member links in the FC port channel. When multiple LUNs are presented under a single target (same DID), algorithms based on SID/DID or WWPN would hash all traffic to the same link, causing imbalance. The OXID/RXID algorithm ensures that each Fibre Channel exchange (e.g., each SCSI command) can be load-balanced independently, maximizing throughput.

Answer

Source ID (SID) and Destination ID (DID)

Answer

Source and destination port ID

Answer

Source and destination WWPN

Question 10

An engineer is configuring intelligent zoning and wants to use device aliases to simplify zone membership. What is a characteristic of device aliases compared to zone aliases?

Accepted Answer

Device aliases can be used in multiple zones across different VSANs.. Device aliases are globally unique across all VSANs in a Cisco MDS fabric, allowing the same alias to be used in multiple zones and across different VSANs without conflict. This simplifies zone configuration because a single device alias can represent an N-port (e.g., a host HBA) and be referenced in zone memberships for different VSANs, reducing administrative overhead. In contrast, zone aliases are local to a single VSAN and cannot be shared across VSANs.

Answer

Device aliases require a specific DNS entry.

Answer

Device aliases are restricted to a single VSAN.

Answer

Device aliases are automatically assigned to the default zone.

Question 11

During a fabric reconfigure event, which behavior is expected if all switches are running the same Cisco SAN-OS version and have the same domain ID configuration?

Accepted Answer

A domain ID conflict will cause a segmentation of the fabric.. When all switches in a fabric reconfigure event run the same Cisco SAN-OS version and have the same domain ID configured, a domain ID conflict occurs because the principal switch cannot assign a unique domain ID to each switch. This conflict causes the fabric to segment, as the principal switch isolates the conflicting switch into a separate principal switch selection process, preventing a stable merged fabric.

Answer

The principal switch selection will re-elect based on highest WWN.

Answer

The principal switch will force a new domain ID assignment.

Answer

The fabric will merge without any issues as long as VSANs match.

Question 12

Based on the exhibited FLOGI database, what is the state of the interface fc1/1?

Accepted Answer

It is an NP port (proxy FW) because multiple FCIDs appear on the same interface.. The FLOGI database shows multiple FCIDs (0x010000, 0x010001) associated with the same interface fc1/1, which is characteristic of an NP port (proxy FW) in NPV mode. An NP port acts as a proxy for multiple end devices behind it, such as in a Fibre Channel NPV switch or a converged network adapter (CNA) in FCoE NPV mode, allowing multiple FCIDs to share a single physical link.

Answer

It is an F port with a hub attached.

Answer

It is a trunking E port.

Answer

It is a disabled port because there are two WWNs.

Question 13

Based on the exhibited output, what is the status of the interface?

Accepted Answer

The interface is up but has no license.. The interface is up (line protocol is up) but the output shows 'license not installed' or similar, meaning the port is administratively up but lacks the required license for full functionality. In Cisco MDS/Nexus storage networks, interfaces can be in an 'up' state without a license, but they will not pass traffic or operate in the licensed mode until the license is installed.

Answer

The interface is in trunk mode and licensed.

Answer

The interface is operational and licensed.

Answer

The interface is down due to no license.

Question 14

In a Fibre Channel SAN, a technique is used to allow multiple initiators to share a single physical FC port by assigning multiple N-port IDs. What is this technique called?

Accepted Answer

N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV). NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization) allows a single physical Fibre Channel port to register multiple N_Port IDs (FCIDs), enabling multiple initiators (e.g., virtual machines or logical partitions) to share that port while each appears as a unique entity to the fabric. This is achieved by the HBA requesting additional FCIDs from the fabric switch via the FLOGI and FDISC processes. The technique is defined in the FC-FS and FC-LS standards and is widely used in virtualized server environments to reduce the number of physical ports needed.

Answer

NPIV is exclusive to FCoE environments

Answer

NPIV is only available on initiator HBAs

Answer

N_Port Virtualization (NPV)

Question 15

A storage team is implementing zoning in a Fibre Channel fabric. They want a method where zone members are identified by their World Wide Port Name (WWPN) and the fabric enforces access based on that, without relying on switch port information. Which type is this?

Accepted Answer

Soft zoning using WWPN. Soft zoning using WWPN is correct because it identifies zone members by their World Wide Port Name (WWPN) and enforces access through name server queries rather than switch port information. In soft zoning, the fabric does not actively block traffic; instead, it relies on the initiator to query the name server and only communicate with allowed WWPNs, making it a software-enforced access control method.

Answer

Soft zoning using domain/port

Answer

Hard zoning using WWPN

Answer

Hard zoning using port WWN