350-501 MPLS and Segment Routing Practice Question
A service provider is deploying MPLS-TE with RSVP-TE in their core network. They notice that some LSPs are not being established due to resource contention. Which action would best address this issue without redesigning the entire traffic engineering deployment?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that explicit path configuration or bandwidth upgrades are the primary solutions for resource contention, when in fact preemption priorities are the designed mechanism for dynamic contention resolution in RSVP-TE.
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
✓
Enable preemption on RSVP-TE LSPs with appropriate priority levels.
Enabling preemption on RSVP-TE LSPs with appropriate setup and hold priorities allows higher-priority LSPs to tear down lower-priority LSPs to free up bandwidth, resolving resource contention without redesigning the entire TE deployment. This is the standard mechanism defined in RFC 3209 for managing bandwidth contention in MPLS-TE networks.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable preemption on RSVP-TE LSPs with appropriate priority levels.
Why this is correct
Preemption allows higher-priority LSPs to take resources from lower-priority ones, resolving contention dynamically.
- ✗
Increase the bandwidth of all core links.
Why it's wrong here
While increasing bandwidth may alleviate congestion, it does not address the root cause of resource contention and is a costly redesign.
- ✗
Configure LSP path-option explicit paths with strict hops.
Why it's wrong here
Strict explicit paths may avoid certain links but do not solve resource contention; they may even worsen it by restricting path choices.
- ✗
Disable RSVP-TE and use LDP for label distribution.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling RSVP-TE removes traffic engineering capabilities, which is not a solution to contention.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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