These questions describe a network symptom and ask you to identify the root cause or the correct fix. They appear across all certification exams and reward systematic thinking over memorisation. The best candidates follow a consistent troubleshooting framework even under time pressure.
Start Scenario PracticeA data center administrator is troubleshooting slow storage performance on a UCS B-Series blade server. The server is connected to a Cisco UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnect and uses local SAS drives. The administrator checks the UCS Manager and sees that the storage adapter has a driver version that is not recommended. What is the most likely impact of using a non-recommended driver version?
Explanation: Using a non-recommended driver version for the storage adapter in a UCS B-Series blade server can lead to degraded storage performance or system instability. Cisco validates specific driver versions for compatibility with the UCS 6300 Series Fabric Interconnect and local SAS drives; deviations may cause suboptimal I/O handling, increased latency, or unexpected errors. This is a common issue in compute environments where driver- firmware mismatches affect storage throughput.
An engineer is troubleshooting a SAN performance issue. The show interface counters command shows high output discard counts on a particular Fibre Channel interface. What is the most likely cause?
Explanation: High output discard counts on a Fibre Channel interface indicate that the transmitting port is attempting to send frames faster than the receiving port can accept them. This is most commonly caused by insufficient buffer credits on the transmitting port, which limits the number of frames that can be in flight before an acknowledgment is required. When buffer credits are exhausted, frames are discarded at the transmit side, leading to output discards.
An engineer is troubleshooting a DHCP issue in a data center VLAN. Clients are unable to obtain IP addresses from the DHCP server. The switch has DHCP snooping enabled on the VLAN, and the DHCP server is connected to a trusted port. The clients are on untrusted ports. Which additional security feature is most likely causing the problem if the DHCP server is on a different subnet and the switch is not configured as a DHCP relay?
Explanation: When the DHCP server resides on a different subnet and the switch lacks an IP helper address (ip helper-address) configuration, DHCP snooping will not forward the DHCP broadcast from the client to the server. DHCP snooping relies on the switch to relay DHCP packets across subnets; without the helper address, the broadcast is dropped at the VLAN interface, preventing clients from obtaining IP addresses.
A data center engineer is troubleshooting connectivity issues between two EPGs in the same tenant on a Cisco ACI fabric. The first EPG 'web_epg' is in VLAN 100 and the second EPG 'db_epg' is in VLAN 200. The contract 'web_to_db' allows TCP port 3306 from web_epg to db_epg. The EPGs are in the same VRF. The engineer has verified that the physical connectivity is correct and the endpoints are learning their IP addresses. However, traffic from web_epg to db_epg is not reaching the destination. The engineer checks the contract and sees that the subject 'mysql_access' has filter 'mysql' with direction 'both'. The provider is db_epg and consumer is web_epg. The engineer also notices that the default action in the contract is 'deny'. What is the most likely cause of the issue?
Explanation: In Cisco ACI, the provider EPG is the one that offers a service (the destination of the traffic), and the consumer EPG is the one that initiates the connection. Since web_epg initiates TCP traffic to db_epg, db_epg should be the provider and web_epg the consumer. The contract is reversed, so the default deny action blocks the traffic because the consumer (web_epg) is not allowed to initiate toward the provider (db_epg) under the reversed roles.
An engineer is troubleshooting a vPC consistency check failure. Which parameter must be identical on both vPC peer switches to avoid a consistency check violation for a vPC member port?
Explanation: In a vPC environment, the allowed VLAN list on the port channel must be identical on both peer switches for a vPC member port. If the lists differ, the vPC consistency check fails, causing the port to be suspended or placed in a consistency-check failure state. This ensures that both peers forward the same set of VLANs across the vPC, preventing asymmetric forwarding and potential loops.
+10 more scenario questions available
Practice all Troubleshooting Scenario QuestionsThese questions describe a network symptom and ask you to identify the root cause or the correct fix. They appear across all certification exams and reward systematic thinking over memorisation. The best candidates follow a consistent troubleshooting framework even under time pressure. These appear throughout the 350-601 and require you to apply your knowledge, not just recall facts.
Cisco doesn't publish an exact breakdown, but scenario-based questions (especially exhibit and command-output formats) make up a significant portion of the 350-601. Practicing each scenario type ensures you're ready for any format.
Yes. Courseiva provides free 350-601 scenario practice across all official exam domains. The platform includes scenario-based questions, command-output interpretation, topic-based practice, mock exams, and readiness tracking — no account required.
Launch a full Troubleshooting Scenario Questions session with instant scoring and detailed explanations.
Start Scenario Practice →