Quick Answer
The answer is 8. In Cisco SD-WAN, the OMP route maximum TLOCs per route is capped at eight because the OMP protocol is designed to balance path diversity with control-plane scalability, preventing the vSmart controller from flooding the network with an excessive number of next-hop paths for a single prefix. On the ENCOR 350-401 exam, this concept often appears in questions about SD-WAN control plane behavior or OMP route attributes, and a common trap is confusing TLOC count with the number of allowed paths in BGP or OSPF—those protocols have different limits. A helpful memory tip is to think of an octopus: one OMP route can have up to eight TLOC “arms” reaching out to different transport locations, but no more.
This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of sd-wan architecture. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
In Cisco SD-WAN, what is the maximum number of TLOCs that can be associated with a single OMP route?
8
The maximum number of TLOCs per OMP route is 8, allowing for up to 8 paths for load balancing.
4
Why wrong: 4 is not the maximum; SD-WAN supports up to 8 TLOCs per route.
16
Why wrong: 16 is not supported; the limit is 8 TLOCs per route.
Unlimited
Why wrong: There is a hard limit of 8 TLOCs per OMP route.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
8
In Cisco SD-WAN, a single OMP route can have up to 8 TLOCs (Transport Locations) associated with it. This limit is enforced by the OMP protocol to balance path diversity and control-plane scalability, ensuring that the vSmart controller does not advertise an excessive number of next-hop paths for a single prefix.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
8
Why this is correct
The maximum number of TLOCs per OMP route is 8, allowing for up to 8 paths for load balancing.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
4
Why it's wrong here
4 is not the maximum; SD-WAN supports up to 8 TLOCs per route.
16
Why it's wrong here
16 is not supported; the limit is 8 TLOCs per route.
Unlimited
Why it's wrong here
There is a hard limit of 8 TLOCs per OMP route.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the 8-TLOC limit to catch candidates who confuse OMP's TLOC-per-route limit with the 16-path limit common in BGP or with the default 4-path limit in some IGP protocols.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, OMP uses TLOCs as next-hop identifiers that combine system IP, color, and encapsulation (IPsec/GRE). The 8-TLOC limit per route ensures that the vSmart can efficiently compute and distribute path attributes (e.g., loss, latency, jitter) without exceeding protocol message size constraints. In a real-world scenario, if a site has more than 8 WAN transports (e.g., multiple MPLS, Internet, LTE links), only the best 8 TLOCs are selected per route based on OMP path preferences and administrative distance.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
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FAQ
SD-WAN Architecture — This question tests SD-WAN Architecture — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: 8 — In Cisco SD-WAN, a single OMP route can have up to 8 TLOCs (Transport Locations) associated with it. This limit is enforced by the OMP protocol to balance path diversity and control-plane scalability, ensuring that the vSmart controller does not advertise an excessive number of next-hop paths for a single prefix.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This 350-401 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-401 exam.
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