350-601 Storage Network Practice Question
An engineer is configuring a Cisco MDS switch to connect two SAN islands using a Fibre Channel ISL. The interfaces on both switches are set to auto mode. However, the link does not come up. 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 ports are in auto mode and neither side is configured as E-port.
On Cisco MDS switches, ports in auto mode negotiate to become F-ports by default. For an ISL, at least one side must be configured as E-port to force the link to become an E-port.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Both switches have the same domain ID.
Why it's wrong here
Duplicate domain IDs cause issues after link up, but not link failure.
- ✗
The ISL link requires a minimum speed of 8 Gbps.
Why it's wrong here
Speed is not a factor for link establishment; lower speeds also work.
- ✓
The ports are in auto mode and neither side is configured as E-port.
Why this is correct
Auto mode may not reliably form an E-port; at least one side should be set to E-port to establish an ISL.
- ✗
The ports are configured in F-port mode.
Why it's wrong here
Auto mode does not force F-port; it can become E-port if both sides support it, but the negotiation fails without explicit E-port.
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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.