350-601 Network Practice Question
In a vPC setup, what is the purpose of the vPC peer-keepalive link?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the vPC peer-link (which carries data and control traffic) and the peer-keepalive link (which is only for liveness detection), leading candidates to mistakenly assign data-forwarding or synchronization roles to the keepalive link.
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
✓
To detect the failure of a vPC peer
The vPC peer-keepalive link is a dedicated Layer 3 link used exclusively to monitor the health of the vPC peer. Its primary purpose is to detect a peer failure (e.g., a supervisor crash or complete switch failure) so that the remaining peer can take appropriate actions, such as disabling its own vPC member ports to prevent loops. This is distinct from the vPC peer-link, which carries control and data traffic between peers.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
To detect the failure of a vPC peer
Why this is correct
Keepalive is a heartbeat mechanism.
- ✗
To exchange routing protocol updates
Why it's wrong here
Routing updates can use peer-link or other links.
- ✗
To synchronize MAC address tables
Why it's wrong here
MAC synchronization occurs over peer-link.
- ✗
To forward data traffic between vPC peers
Why it's wrong here
Data traffic uses the peer-link; keepalive is control traffic.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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