The correct answer is to apply a CoPP policy that rate-limits BGP traffic. Control Plane Policing (CoPP) protects the data center switch’s control plane by classifying traffic into classes and enforcing a configured rate-limit; when excessive BGP updates exceed that threshold, only the surplus packets are dropped, preserving legitimate BGP sessions and route exchange. On the Cisco DCCOR and CCNP Data Center Core 350-601 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how CoPP selectively throttles control-plane traffic without breaking neighbor adjacencies—a common trap is choosing an ACL that drops all BGP packets, which would kill the peering. Remember the memory tip: “Rate-limit, don’t blacklist—CoPP keeps BGP alive.”
350-601 Security Practice Question
This 350-601 practice question tests your understanding of security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 data center switch is experiencing high CPU due to excessive BGP updates. Which action can mitigate this without affecting legitimate BGP traffic?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Apply a CoPP policy that rate-limits BGP traffic
Control Plane Policing (CoPP) protects the control plane by rate-limiting specific traffic classes. Applying a CoPP policy that rate-limits BGP traffic (option A) reduces CPU load from excessive BGP updates while still allowing legitimate BGP sessions to function, as the rate-limit only drops packets exceeding a configured threshold. This preserves BGP neighbor reachability and route exchange, unlike dropping all BGP traffic.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Apply a CoPP policy that rate-limits BGP traffic
Why this is correct
CoPP can rate-limit specific control plane protocols, protecting CPU while allowing legitimate BGP updates.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Apply a CoPP policy that drops all BGP traffic
Why it's wrong here
Dropping all BGP traffic would disrupt routing, not desirable.
✗
Disable BGP route filtering
Why it's wrong here
This would increase the number of routes, worsening CPU usage.
✗
Increase BGP timers globally
Why it's wrong here
This may reduce frequency but is less precise than CoPP.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the distinction between 'rate-limit' and 'drop' in CoPP policies, where candidates mistakenly choose to drop all BGP traffic (option B) thinking it solves the CPU issue, but this breaks routing entirely.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
CoPP uses MQC (Modular QoS CLI) to classify traffic into classes (e.g., 'class BGP' matching TCP port 179) and applies a police action (e.g., 'police 10000 conform transmit exceed drop'). Under the hood, CoPP policies are applied to the control plane via 'service-policy input' under 'control-plane' configuration. In a real-world scenario, a misconfigured BGP peer or a DDoS attack targeting BGP can flood the control plane; CoPP rate-limiting prevents CPU exhaustion while allowing legitimate BGP keepalives and updates to pass.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Security — This question tests Security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Apply a CoPP policy that rate-limits BGP traffic — Control Plane Policing (CoPP) protects the control plane by rate-limiting specific traffic classes. Applying a CoPP policy that rate-limits BGP traffic (option A) reduces CPU load from excessive BGP updates while still allowing legitimate BGP sessions to function, as the rate-limit only drops packets exceeding a configured threshold. This preserves BGP neighbor reachability and route exchange, unlike dropping all BGP traffic.
What should I do if I get this 350-601 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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