The correct conclusion is that both member ports are in Active state, meaning they are participating in LACP negotiation, and the EtherChannel is fully operational. This is confirmed by the Port state showing "Ag-Inuse," which indicates the aggregation is active and in use, while the "Active" EC state for both Gi0/0 and Gi0/1 confirms they are actively sending and receiving LACP frames. On the ENCOR 350-401 exam, this command tests your ability to read the "show interfaces port-channel etherchannel" output to verify LACP negotiation and member port status—a common trap is misreading the "Load" field as a sign of failure, when in fact "00" simply means no traffic is currently being load-balanced. Remember the key states: "Active" for LACP, "Desirable" for PAgP, and "Ag-Inuse" means the bundle is working. Memory tip: "Active Ag-Inuse = All Good" to quickly confirm a healthy LACP EtherChannel.
CCNP EtherChannel Practice Question
This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of etherchannel. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. 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.
A network engineer runs the following command on Switch SW2:
SW2# show interfaces port-channel 1 etherchannel
Port-channel1 :
Age of the Port-channel = 0d:00h:10m:32s
Logical slot/port = 16/1 Number of ports = 2
HotStandby port = null
Port state = Port-channel Ag-Inuse
Protocol = LACP
Ports in the Port-channel:
Index Load Port EC state No of bits
------+------+------+----------------+----------
0 00 Gi0/0 Active 4
1 00 Gi0/1 Active 4
Time since last port bundled: 0d:00h:05m:23s Gi0/1
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Both member ports are in Active state, meaning they are participating in LACP negotiation.
The output shows that the port-channel is in 'Ag-Inuse' state, meaning the aggregation is active. Both Gi0/0 and Gi0/1 are in 'Active' state, which is correct for LACP. The load field shows '00' for both, indicating that load balancing is not distributing traffic evenly; this could be because there is no traffic or the load-balancing method is not effective. The correct answer is that the EtherChannel is operational with two active member ports.
Key principle: A trunk being up does not mean the VLAN is allowed across it. Always verify the allowed VLAN list and whether the VLAN exists on both switches.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
The EtherChannel is not operational because the load is zero.
Why it's wrong here
Zero load indicates no traffic, not a failure.
✓
Both member ports are in Active state, meaning they are participating in LACP negotiation.
Why this is correct
Active state in LACP means the port is actively trying to form an aggregation.
Related concept
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
✗
The port-channel is in 'Ag-Inuse' state, which means it is not yet forwarding traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Ag-Inuse means the port-channel is in use and forwarding.
✗
Load balancing is set to source-destination IP, causing the zero load values.
Why it's wrong here
The load values are based on the hash result; zero could be due to no traffic, not the method.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: an active trunk can still block the VLAN you need
A trunk being up does not prove every VLAN is crossing it. Check allowed VLAN lists, native VLAN mismatch, VLAN existence and access-port assignment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
VLAN questions usually combine access-port and trunking clues. The key is to identify whether the issue is local to one switchport, caused by the trunk, or caused by the VLAN not existing where it needs to exist.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs between switches.
Allowed VLAN lists decide which VLANs can cross a trunk.
Native VLAN mismatch can create confusing symptoms.
TExam Day Tips
→Use show vlan brief to verify access VLANs.
→Use show interfaces trunk to verify trunk state and allowed VLANs.
→Do not treat every same-VLAN issue as a routing problem.
Key takeaway
A trunk being up does not mean the VLAN is allowed across it. Always verify the allowed VLAN list and whether the VLAN exists on both switches.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review VLAN allowed lists, native VLAN mismatch detection, and how to verify VLAN membership with show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk. Then practise related 350-401 questions on switching, trunking, and access-port configuration.
EtherChannel — This question tests EtherChannel — Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Both member ports are in Active state, meaning they are participating in LACP negotiation. — The output shows that the port-channel is in 'Ag-Inuse' state, meaning the aggregation is active. Both Gi0/0 and Gi0/1 are in 'Active' state, which is correct for LACP. The load field shows '00' for both, indicating that load balancing is not distributing traffic evenly; this could be because there is no traffic or the load-balancing method is not effective. The correct answer is that the EtherChannel is operational with two active member ports.
What should I do if I get this 350-401 question wrong?
Review VLAN allowed lists, native VLAN mismatch detection, and how to verify VLAN membership with show vlan brief and show interfaces trunk. Then practise related 350-401 questions on switching, trunking, and access-port configuration.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
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