350-601 Storage Network Practice Question
A company is deploying a multi-tenant environment with several virtualized hosts using NPIV. Each virtual machine requires its own WWPN. During testing, some VMs cannot log into the SAN. The MDS switch logs show 'FLOGI rejected: no available resources'. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between resource exhaustion (NPIV login limits) and configuration errors (zoning or VSAN device limits) by using the specific error message 'FLOGI rejected: no available resources', which candidates mistakenly attribute to zoning or VSAN device limits instead of NPIV login resource depletion.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The NPIV limit or the number of allowed logins has been exceeded on the upstream switch
The error 'FLOGI rejected: no available resources' on an MDS switch in an NPIV environment indicates that the switch has exhausted its allocated resources for handling fabric logins (FLOGIs) from N_Port ID Virtualization (NPIV) initiators. NPIV allows multiple virtual WWPNs to share a single physical FC port, but each virtual login consumes a login resource on the upstream switch. When the NPIV limit or the maximum number of allowed logins per interface or per VSAN is exceeded, the switch rejects new FLOGIs, preventing VMs from logging into the SAN.
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 maximum FC frame size is set incorrectly on the switch
Why it's wrong here
Frame size affects throughput, not login resources.
- ✗
The VSAN maximum number of devices has been reached
Why it's wrong here
VSAN device limits are large and rarely hit.
- ✗
The zone set is full and cannot accept more members
Why it's wrong here
Zone set size limit is not reached in most cases.
- ✓
The NPIV limit or the number of allowed logins has been exceeded on the upstream switch
Why this is correct
By default, NPIV max logins may be hit with many VMs.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-601 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 350-601 exam.