350-601 Compute Practice Question
In a UCS B-series chassis, which component provides the management connectivity between the blades and the Fabric Interconnects?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the IOM (chassis-level connectivity) and the CIMC (blade-level management controller), leading candidates to mistakenly choose CIMC because they associate 'management connectivity' with the blade's own management processor.
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
✓
IOM (Input/Output Module)
The Input/Output Module (IOM) in a UCS B-series chassis provides the management connectivity between the blades and the Fabric Interconnects. It aggregates all blade traffic, including management traffic (such as CIMC communications), and forwards it to the Fabric Interconnects over the chassis backplane. Without the IOM, the blades would have no path to the Fabric Interconnects for management or data-plane operations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
CIMC
Why it's wrong here
CIMC is for rack servers.
- ✓
IOM (Input/Output Module)
Why this is correct
IOM handles both data and management traffic to FIs.
- ✗
UCS Manager
Why it's wrong here
UCS Manager is software, not a hardware component.
- ✗
Blade midplane
Why it's wrong here
Midplane provides data and power, not management alone.
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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.