Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Two switches are connected with EtherChannel using LACP. One side is configured with mode active and the other side with mode passive. What happens?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
The channel forms successfully
Active initiates and passive responds.
B
Distractor review
The channel stays down because both sides must be active
Both active works, but it is not required.
C
Distractor review
The channel forms only if PAgP is also enabled
PAgP is a different negotiation protocol.
D
Distractor review
The channel becomes a static Port-Channel
LACP mode active/passive still creates an LACP bundle, not a static one.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A frequent exam trap is believing that both sides of an LACP EtherChannel must be configured in active mode for the channel to form. This misconception leads to the incorrect assumption that active-passive combinations will fail. In reality, LACP requires only one side to be active to initiate negotiation, while the other side can be passive and respond. Another trap is confusing LACP with PAgP, expecting that enabling PAgP alongside LACP will help form the channel, which is false because these protocols are incompatible. Understanding these nuances prevents misinterpretation of EtherChannel negotiation behavior on the exam.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
EtherChannel is a technology that bundles multiple physical Ethernet links into a single logical link to increase bandwidth and provide redundancy. Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP) is an IEEE standard (802.3ad) protocol used to dynamically negotiate and maintain these bundles between switches. LACP uses modes such as active and passive to determine how the negotiation occurs: active mode actively initiates negotiation by sending LACP packets, while passive mode only responds to LACP packets but does not initiate them. For an EtherChannel to form using LACP, at least one side must be in active mode to initiate the negotiation. If one switch is set to active mode and the other to passive mode, the active side sends LACP packets, and the passive side responds, allowing the channel to form successfully. This behavior contrasts with static EtherChannels, which do not use negotiation protocols and require manual configuration on both sides. Cisco switches support this dynamic negotiation to simplify link aggregation and ensure compatibility. A common exam trap is assuming both sides must be active for LACP to form an EtherChannel. This is incorrect because passive mode can respond to active mode’s negotiation requests, enabling the channel to come up. Another confusion is mixing LACP with PAgP, Cisco’s proprietary protocol, which is incompatible with LACP. Understanding these distinctions is critical for configuring EtherChannel correctly and avoiding misconfigurations that cause link bundles to stay down or behave unexpectedly in production networks.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- LACP uses active and passive modes to negotiate EtherChannel bundles dynamically between switches.
- An EtherChannel forms successfully if at least one switch side is set to LACP active mode and the other to passive mode.
- Passive mode in LACP only responds to negotiation packets and does not initiate link aggregation.
- Static Port-Channels do not use LACP or PAgP and require manual configuration on both ends.
- PAgP is a Cisco proprietary protocol and cannot negotiate EtherChannel with LACP-enabled ports.
- LACP ensures link aggregation compatibility and redundancy by dynamically managing bundled links.
- Misconfiguring both sides as passive mode prevents EtherChannel formation because no side initiates negotiation.
- Cisco switches prefer dynamic negotiation protocols like LACP to simplify EtherChannel setup and maintenance.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Related practice questions
Related 200-301 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
CCNA subnetting practice questions
Practise IPv4 subnetting, CIDR, masks, host ranges and subnet selection.
CCNA OSPF practice questions
Practise OSPF neighbours, router IDs, metrics, areas and routing-table interpretation.
CCNA VLAN practice questions
Practise VLANs, access ports, trunks, allowed VLANs and switching scenarios.
CCNA STP practice questions
Practise spanning tree, root bridge election, port roles and STP troubleshooting.
CCNA EtherChannel practice questions
Practise LACP, PAgP, port-channel behaviour and bundle requirements.
CCNA ACL practice questions
Practise standard and extended ACLs, permit/deny logic and traffic filtering.
CCNA NAT practice questions
Practise static NAT, dynamic NAT, PAT and inside/outside address translation.
CCNA DHCP practice questions
Practise DHCP scopes, relay, leases and troubleshooting.
CCNA show ip route practice questions
Practise routing-table output, longest-prefix match, AD and route selection.
CCNA show interfaces trunk practice questions
Practise trunk verification and VLAN forwarding across switches.
CCNA wireless security practice questions
Practise WLAN security, authentication and wireless architecture concepts.
CCNA IPv6 practice questions
Practise IPv6 addressing, routes, neighbour discovery and common IPv6 exam traps.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A router learns the same prefix from both OSPF and EIGRP. Which route is installed by default?
Question 2
A router shows this output: R1#show ip ospf neighbor Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface 10.1.1.2 1 FULL/DR 00:00:34 192.168.12.2 GigabitEthernet0/0 10.1.1.3 1 2WAY/DROTHER 00:00:39 192.168.12.3 GigabitEthernet0/0 Which statement is correct?
Question 3
What is the OSPF metric called?
Question 4
A non-root switch has two uplinks toward the root bridge. One path has a lower total STP cost than the other. What role will the lower-cost uplink have?
Question 5
A router interface applies this ACL inbound: 10 deny tcp any any eq 80 20 permit ip any any A user reports that web browsing to a server by IP address fails, but ping works. Which statement best explains the behavior?
Question 6
A router learns route 198.51.100.0/24 from OSPF with AD 110 and also has a static route to the same prefix configured with AD 150. Which route is installed?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
LACP uses active and passive modes to negotiate EtherChannel bundles dynamically between switches.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The channel forms successfully — LACP forms an EtherChannel when at least one side actively negotiates. Active plus passive is a valid combination, so the bundle comes up if the physical settings match.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
Discussion
Loading comments…
Sign in to join the discussion.