350-501 Architecture Practice Question
An engineer is designing an MPLS L3VPN solution and must ensure that the provider edge (PE) routers can handle routing updates for multiple customers without interfering with each other. Which mechanism should be used on the PE routers?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between VRF-Lite (which provides routing isolation without MPLS) and full MPLS L3VPN (which uses RDs and route targets for VPNv4 prefix uniqueness and distribution), leading candidates to mistakenly choose route distinguishers as the isolation mechanism.
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
✓
VRF-Lite
VRF-Lite (Virtual Routing and Forwarding) is the correct mechanism because it allows a single PE router to maintain multiple separate routing tables (VRFs), each dedicated to a different customer. This ensures that routing updates for one customer are isolated from another, preventing interference. VRF-Lite achieves this without MPLS, using only IP forwarding and per-VRF routing instances.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Route distinguishers
Why it's wrong here
Route distinguishers make overlapping prefixes unique but do not provide separate tables.
- ✗
Route reflectors
Why it's wrong here
Route reflectors reduce BGP peering but do not isolate routing tables.
- ✗
MPLS-TE
Why it's wrong here
MPLS-TE is for traffic engineering, not routing isolation.
- ✓
VRF-Lite
Why this is correct
VRF-Lite creates separate routing tables for each customer.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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