350-601 Network Practice Question
What is the purpose of the vPC peer keepalive link in a vPC domain?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between the peer-link (which carries data and control traffic) and the peer keepalive link (which is only for liveness detection), and candidates mistakenly assume the keepalive link handles data or STP BPDUs.
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 provide a keepalive mechanism to detect peer failure
The vPC peer keepalive link is a dedicated Layer 3 link used to detect a failure of the vPC peer switch. It sends periodic UDP-based keepalive messages (default every second) to ensure the peer is still operational, allowing the surviving switch to take over the vPC forwarding role. This mechanism is critical for preventing dual-active scenarios where both switches would incorrectly forward traffic for the same vPC VLAN.
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 synchronize MAC address tables
Why it's wrong here
Synchronization occurs over the peer-link.
- ✗
To carry BPDUs for STP
Why it's wrong here
BPDUs are handled in the data plane.
- ✓
To provide a keepalive mechanism to detect peer failure
Why this is correct
The keepalive link sends periodic messages to verify peer liveness.
- ✗
To forward data traffic between vPC peers
Why it's wrong here
Data traffic uses the peer-link.
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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.