- A
No BGP; use OSPF instead
Why wrong: eBGP is commonly used in spine-leaf for scalability and control.
- B
Single ASN for all spines
Why wrong: Using a single ASN would cause BGP to see the spine as a single hop, reducing path diversity.
- C
Unique ASN for each spine switch
Each spine gets a unique ASN so that leaves see multiple AS paths, enabling ECMP.
- D
Same ASN as leaves
Why wrong: Leaves and spines should be in different ASNs to maintain eBGP peering.
Question 494 of 1,000
350-601 Network Practice Question
This 350-601 practice question tests your understanding of network. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
In a spine-leaf architecture using eBGP, which of the following is the recommended BGP configuration for the spine switches?
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
✓
Unique ASN for each spine switch
In eBGP-based spine-leaf architectures, each spine switch should use a unique ASN to enable BGP’s loop prevention mechanism (the AS_PATH attribute). This ensures that leaf switches can detect and discard routes received from two different spines that originated from the same leaf, preventing routing loops and allowing load balancing across multiple spines. A unique ASN per spine is the recommended design per Cisco’s best practices for data center fabrics.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
No BGP; use OSPF instead
Why it's wrong here
eBGP is commonly used in spine-leaf for scalability and control.
- ✗
Single ASN for all spines
Why it's wrong here
Using a single ASN would cause BGP to see the spine as a single hop, reducing path diversity.
- ✓
Unique ASN for each spine switch
Why this is correct
Each spine gets a unique ASN so that leaves see multiple AS paths, enabling ECMP.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Same ASN as leaves
Why it's wrong here
Leaves and spines should be in different ASNs to maintain eBGP peering.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that all spine switches should share a single ASN for simplicity, but the trap here is that this breaks eBGP’s loop prevention and prevents ECMP load balancing across spines.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, eBGP’s AS_PATH loop detection works by rejecting routes that contain the local ASN; with unique ASNs per spine, a leaf receiving the same prefix from two spines sees different AS_PATHs (e.g., AS 65001 vs. AS 65002) and can install both as ECMP routes. In a real-world scenario, if a spine fails, the unique ASN allows the leaf to quickly withdraw the affected path without impacting the other spine’s routes, maintaining fabric resilience.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Network — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
Network practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All 350-601 questions
1,000 questions across all exam domains
- →
Cisco DCCOR / CCNP Data Center Core 350-601 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
350-601 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related 350-601 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Security practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to Security.
Network practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to Network.
Storage Network practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to Storage Network.
Automation practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to Automation.
Compute practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to Compute.
350-601 fundamentals practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to 350-601 fundamentals.
350-601 scenario practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to 350-601 scenario.
350-601 troubleshooting practice questions
Practise 350-601 questions linked to 350-601 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free 350-601 practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 350-601 question test?
Network — This question tests Network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Unique ASN for each spine switch — In eBGP-based spine-leaf architectures, each spine switch should use a unique ASN to enable BGP’s loop prevention mechanism (the AS_PATH attribute). This ensures that leaf switches can detect and discard routes received from two different spines that originated from the same leaf, preventing routing loops and allowing load balancing across multiple spines. A unique ASN per spine is the recommended design per Cisco’s best practices for data center fabrics.
What should I do if I get this 350-601 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Keep practising
More 350-601 practice questions
- In Cisco ACI, which component is responsible for translating EPG communication policies into concrete configuration on l…
- An engineer is configuring OSPF on a Cisco Nexus switch in a data center. The network consists of multiple point-to-poin…
- An engineer is configuring BGP EVPN for VXLAN in a spine-leaf fabric. The leaf switches must advertise host IP-to-MAC ma…
- Which VLAN range is reserved by default on Cisco Nexus switches?
- In VXLAN overlay networks, which mechanism is used to forward broadcast, unknown unicast, and multicast (BUM) traffic wh…
- Which command is used to verify the OSPF neighbor state in NX-OS?
Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.