Quick Answer
The answer is VSANs, or Virtual SANs, because they create logical isolation within a single Fibre Channel fabric, allowing each department’s initiators and targets to operate in separate broadcast domains without any visibility into each other’s storage traffic. This technology partitions the physical SAN into multiple logical SANs, ensuring complete separation for department segmentation without requiring additional physical hardware or fabrics. On the Cisco DCCOR / CCNP Data Center Core 350-601 exam, this concept tests your understanding of Fibre Channel virtualization and is often presented as a scenario where you must choose between VSANs, zoning, or NPV—a common trap is confusing VSANs with zoning, but remember that VSANs provide fabric-level isolation while zoning only controls device access within the same VSAN. A helpful memory tip: think of VSANs as separate virtual switches, whereas zoning is like access control lists on a single switch.
This 350-601 practice question tests your understanding of storage network. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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.
An administrator needs to configure a Fibre Channel SAN to support two separate departments that must not see each other's storage. Each department has its own set of initiators and targets. Which technology should be used?
VSANs (Virtual SANs)
VSANs isolate traffic.
Port channels
Why wrong: Port channels aggregate bandwidth.
NPV
Why wrong: NPV is for edge switches.
IVR (Inter-VSAN Routing)
Why wrong: IVR routes between VSANs, not isolate.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
VSANs (Virtual SANs)
VSANs (Virtual SANs) provide isolation within a single Fibre Channel fabric by partitioning the physical SAN into multiple logical SANs. Each department's initiators and targets are placed in separate VSANs, ensuring they cannot see each other's storage traffic or devices, which meets the requirement for complete separation without additional physical hardware.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
VSANs (Virtual SANs)
Why this is correct
VSANs isolate traffic.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Port channels
Why it's wrong here
Port channels aggregate bandwidth.
NPV
Why it's wrong here
NPV is for edge switches.
IVR (Inter-VSAN Routing)
Why it's wrong here
IVR routes between VSANs, not isolate.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the distinction between VSANs and IVR, where candidates mistakenly think IVR is needed for isolation, but IVR actually enables controlled sharing between VSANs, not isolation.
Detailed technical explanation
VSANs operate by assigning each Fibre Channel port to a specific VSAN ID (1-4094), and each VSAN maintains its own separate fabric services (e.g., name server, zone server, FSPF routing table). This ensures that devices in different VSANs are completely isolated at the fabric level, similar to how VLANs isolate Ethernet traffic, and no inter-VSAN communication occurs unless explicitly configured with IVR. In a real-world scenario, an enterprise might use VSANs to separate production, development, and backup traffic on the same physical SAN infrastructure, reducing hardware costs while maintaining strict security boundaries.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A practitioner preparing for the 350-601 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Storage Network — This question tests Storage Network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: VSANs (Virtual SANs) — VSANs (Virtual SANs) provide isolation within a single Fibre Channel fabric by partitioning the physical SAN into multiple logical SANs. Each department's initiators and targets are placed in separate VSANs, ensuring they cannot see each other's storage traffic or devices, which meets the requirement for complete separation without additional physical hardware.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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