350-601 VXLAN Control Plane Practice Question
An engineer is deploying a new VXLAN fabric and must ensure that the control plane can handle MAC advertisement without flooding. Which TWO protocols can be used for control plane learning in VXLAN? (Select two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often select only MP-BGP EVPN because it is the most well-known, but fail to recognize that OpenFlow can also serve as a control plane protocol in SDN-based VXLAN solutions. They might also mistakenly choose IGMP Snooping or OSPF due to familiarity with multicast or routing, ignoring the specific requirement for control plane learning.
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
✓
OpenFlow
MP-BGP EVPN (Option D) is the primary control plane protocol for VXLAN, defined in RFC 7432, enabling MAC address advertisement without flooding. OpenFlow (Option B) is used in SDN controllers to manage forwarding tables, and in some VXLAN implementations (e.g., VMware NSX), it can serve as the control plane for MAC learning. IGMP Snooping (A) handles multicast group management, not MAC advertisement. VXLAN data plane learning (C) is the flood-and-learn method, which the question explicitly wants to avoid. OSPF (E) is a routing protocol, not a VXLAN control plane.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
IGMP Snooping
Why it's wrong here
IGMP Snooping is used to manage multicast group membership, not to advertise MAC addresses in VXLAN. It is not a control plane protocol for VXLAN MAC learning.
- ✓
OpenFlow
Why this is correct
OpenFlow is a protocol for SDN controllers that can manage forwarding tables. In some VXLAN implementations, an SDN controller using OpenFlow can act as the control plane for MAC advertisement, eliminating flooding. Therefore, this is correct.
- ✗
VXLAN data plane learning
Why it's wrong here
VXLAN data plane learning (flood-and-learn) is the opposite of control plane learning; it relies on flooding to learn MAC addresses, which is not what the question requires.
- ✓
MP-BGP EVPN
Why this is correct
MP-BGP EVPN is the standardized control plane protocol for VXLAN, as per RFC 7432. It advertises MAC addresses via BGP, eliminating the need for flooding.
- ✗
OSPF
Why it's wrong here
OSPF is a routing protocol for IP networks, not designed for MAC address advertisement in VXLAN. It is not a VXLAN control plane protocol.
Visual reference
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 |
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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.