350-601 Storage Network Practice Question
A storage network using Cisco MDS 9700 switches has two VSANs (100 and 200). The engineer wants to share a physical ISL between both VSANs while maintaining traffic isolation. Which feature should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between VSAN trunking and Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR), where candidates mistakenly choose IVR because they think 'sharing' implies routing between VSANs, but the question specifically requires traffic isolation, not inter-VSAN communication.
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
✓
VSAN trunking
VSAN trunking allows a single physical ISL to carry traffic for multiple VSANs by adding a VSAN tag to each frame, ensuring traffic isolation between VSANs 100 and 200. This is the native Cisco MDS feature designed for sharing inter-switch links across VSANs without merging their control planes or forwarding tables.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
VSAN trunking
Why this is correct
VSAN trunking allows multiple VSANs over a single link with isolation.
- ✗
PortChannel with trunk mode on
Why it's wrong here
PortChannel provides link aggregation, not VSAN multiplexing.
- ✗
Inter-VSAN Routing (IVR)
Why it's wrong here
IVR enables communication between VSANs, not sharing a link.
- ✗
FSPF metric manipulation
Why it's wrong here
FSPF is a routing protocol, not for sharing links across VSANs.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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