350-601 Compute Practice Question
An engineer is deploying a new UCS chassis with two Fabric Interconnects. The design requires that server traffic can fail over to the secondary FI if the primary FI fails, without requiring any changes to the server's network configuration. Which technology must be enabled on the uplink ports of the Fabric Interconnects to the upstream switches to ensure transparent failover of server traffic?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between upstream redundancy technologies (like vPC) and server-side failover mechanisms (like pin group failover mode), leading candidates to incorrectly choose vPC for transparent server failover when it only addresses link redundancy to the upstream network.
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
✓
Enable pin groups with 'failover' mode on the server ports.
Pin groups with 'failover' mode enable transparent server traffic failover by pinning server vNICs to a specific Fabric Interconnect (FI) and automatically repinning them to the secondary FI upon primary FI failure, without requiring any changes to the server's network configuration. This ensures that the server's MAC and IP addresses remain active on the secondary FI, maintaining connectivity without manual intervention.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a virtual PortChannel (vPC) between the Fabric Interconnects and upstream switches.
Why it's wrong here
vPC provides active-active uplinks but does not handle MAC/IP takeover for FI failover.
- ✗
Apply QoS policies to prioritize failover traffic.
Why it's wrong here
QoS does not provide transparent failover.
- ✓
Enable pin groups with 'failover' mode on the server ports.
Why this is correct
Pin groups with failover mode allow the secondary FI to assume the primary's MAC and IP, enabling transparent failover.
- ✗
Implement Private VLANs on the uplink ports to isolate traffic.
Why it's wrong here
PVLANs are for traffic segmentation, not FI failover.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This 350-601 question is part of Courseiva's 984-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.