350-601 Storage Network Practice Question
A small business SAN consists of a single Cisco MDS 9148S switch with 16 Gb Fibre Channel ports. The storage array has four active paths to the switch, and four servers each have two HBAs. The administrator wants to ensure that all paths are utilized and that no single point of failure exists. Currently, all devices are in a single VSAN and zoning is permissive (default deny). After powering on all devices, the administrator notices that the storage array only logs in on two of its four ports. The other two ports show 'no light'. The switch has not been configured with any port settings. What is the most likely cause?
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 storage array's other two ports are not physically connected or are disabled on the array end.
The most likely cause is that the storage array's other two ports are not physically connected or are disabled on the array end. Since the switch is unconfigured and all ports are in the same VSAN with default configuration, the switch does not disable ports. Port speed auto-negotiation is standard. Zoning affects traffic, not link state. Therefore, option D is correct.
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 switch ports need to have their speed manually configured to match the array.
Why it's wrong here
Even with auto-negotiation failure, there would be link failures, not no light.
- ✗
The unused ports are in a different VSAN.
Why it's wrong here
VSAN does not affect physical link state.
- ✗
The zoning configuration prevents the array from logging in on those ports.
Why it's wrong here
Zoning affects FC login after link is up, not link state.
- ✓
The storage array's other two ports are not physically connected or are disabled on the array end.
Why this is correct
No light indicates the link is down; likely the cables are missing or ports disabled.
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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.