350-601 Storage Network Practice Test 6 — 15 Questions

Question 1

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?

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

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 2

Which Fibre Channel frame field is used to identify the upper-layer protocol being carried?

Accepted Answer

R_CTL. The R_CTL (Routing Control) field in the Fibre Channel frame header is used to identify the upper-layer protocol being carried, such as SCSI-FCP, IP, or VI. It contains the routing bits and information category that specify the frame type and protocol context, enabling the receiver to interpret the payload correctly.

Answer

Source FC ID

Answer

D_ID

Answer

CS_CTL

Question 3

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 4

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 5

Based on the exhibited output, what can be concluded about the fabric?

Accepted Answer

The device with FCID 0x010003 is a loop-attached device.. The output shows that the device with FCID 0x010003 has an 'NLP' (Node Loop Port) state, which indicates it is attached to a loop (e.g., via an FL_Port). This is a key characteristic of a loop-attached device, as opposed to a point-to-point fabric-attached device. Therefore, option D is correct.

Answer

The fabric contains a domain ID conflict.

Answer

The device with FCID 0x010002 is a disk array.

Answer

There are three initiators and one target.

Question 6

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 7

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 8

Which TWO commands are used to verify Fibre Channel connectivity issues on a Cisco MDS switch? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

show interface fc . The 'show interface fc ' command displays detailed status, errors, and operational state of a specific Fibre Channel interface, which is essential for diagnosing physical or link-level connectivity issues on a Cisco MDS switch. Option E is correct because the 'show flogi database' command lists all N-port (host) logins registered with the fabric via the Fabric Login (FLOGI) process, verifying that end devices have successfully established a session with the switch and are visible in the Fibre Channel fabric.

Answer

show ip interface brief

Answer

show mac address-table

Answer

show vlan

Question 9

Which THREE factors should be considered when designing an FCoE SAN to avoid traffic loss? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Enable priority flow control (PFC) on all FCoE-enabled interfaces.. Priority Flow Control (PFC) is essential in an FCoE SAN because it provides a lossless Ethernet fabric by pausing traffic on a per-priority basis. Without PFC, standard Ethernet congestion mechanisms would drop FCoE frames, which violates the lossless requirement of Fibre Channel traffic. Enabling PFC on all FCoE-enabled interfaces ensures that buffer credits are managed correctly and no frames are discarded due to congestion.

Answer

Use standard Ethernet cut-through switching for all FCoE traffic.

Answer

Disable the FIP snooping feature to reduce latency.

Question 10

Which TWO statements about NPV configuration on a Cisco MDS switch are true? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

NPV mode is enabled globally with the 'npv enable' command.. NPV (N-Port Virtualization) mode is enabled globally on a Cisco MDS switch using the 'npv enable' command. This command places the entire switch into NPV mode, allowing it to function as an NPV proxy that forwards FLOGI requests from downstream F ports to the core Fibre Channel switch. NPV mode is not a per-VSAN configuration; it is a global switch-level setting.

Answer

The core switch must have NPV enabled as well.

Answer

All downstream interfaces must be F ports.

Answer

NPV mode is configured per VSAN.

Question 11

A storage administrator notices that a Fiber Channel link between a server and a Cisco MDS switch is flapping every few minutes. The server's HBA and the switch port are both configured for 16 Gbps. Which action is most likely to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Replace the SFP module on the switch port with a compatible Cisco SFP. The most likely cause of link flapping on a 16 Gbps Fiber Channel link is an incompatible or faulty SFP module. Cisco MDS switches require Cisco-qualified SFPs to ensure proper signal integrity and protocol negotiation; using a third-party or mismatched SFP can cause intermittent link drops. Replacing the SFP with a compatible Cisco SFP directly addresses the hardware compatibility issue that leads to flapping.

Answer

Increase the link timeout interval on the switch port

Answer

Configure the switch port speed to auto-negotiate

Answer

Change the admin state of the interface to shut and no shut

Question 12

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 13

An organization uses FCIP to extend their SAN between two data centers over a 100 Mbps WAN link with 80 ms latency. The storage traffic includes large sequential writes. Which statement best describes the benefit of enabling compression on the FCIP tunnel?

Accepted Answer

Compression improves effective throughput over the WAN link. Enabling compression on an FCIP tunnel reduces the amount of data transmitted over the WAN link by compressing FC frames before encapsulation. For large sequential writes, this directly improves effective throughput because more actual storage data can be sent within the same 100 Mbps bandwidth, compensating for the high latency and low bandwidth.

Answer

Compression reduces end-to-end latency

Answer

Compression is recommended only when the link has high packet loss

Answer

Compression eliminates the need for jumbo frames

Question 14

A network engineer is deploying FCoE in a top-of-rack design. Which statement about the required lossless Ethernet fabric is correct?

Accepted Answer

Priority Flow Control (PFC) must be enabled to create lossless CoS. FCoE requires a lossless Ethernet fabric to prevent frame drops, which would corrupt Fibre Channel traffic. Priority Flow Control (PFC), defined in IEEE 802.1Qbb, provides per-priority pause mechanisms to create lossless CoS (Class of Service) queues, ensuring no frames are lost due to congestion. Without PFC, standard Ethernet's best-effort delivery would cause frame drops, breaking FCoE's reliability.

Answer

Data Center Bridging Exchange (DCBX) automatically enables PFC when FCoE is configured

Answer

FCoE uses VLAN 1002 by default for all traffic

Answer

FCoE frames are limited to 1500 bytes to avoid fragmentation

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