350-501 Services Practice Question
In EVPN multihoming with all-active mode, what is the purpose of the aliasing capability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between aliasing (advertising MACs for other PEs) and load balancing (the forwarding behavior that aliasing enables), causing candidates to mistakenly select 'load balancing' as the purpose of aliasing itself.
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
✓
It enables one PE to advertise MAC addresses for another PE in the same ES.
In EVPN all-active multihoming, the aliasing capability allows a PE that has learned a MAC address via local attachment to the Ethernet Segment (ES) to advertise that MAC address on behalf of other PEs in the same ES. This enables remote PEs to load-balance traffic destined to that MAC across all multihomed PEs, even if only one PE actually learned the MAC locally. Without aliasing, traffic would be forced to the specific PE that learned the MAC, defeating the purpose of all-active redundancy.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
It permits the use of a single ESI label across all PEs in the ES.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. ESI labels are used for split-horizon and are per PE, not shared.
- ✗
It reduces the number of BGP updates by aggregating MAC routes.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Aliasing may actually increase updates because each PE advertises additional MAC routes.
- ✗
It allows load balancing of traffic across all PEs.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Load balancing is a result of aliasing, but the specific purpose is to advertise MACs on behalf of other PEs.
- ✓
It enables one PE to advertise MAC addresses for another PE in the same ES.
Why this is correct
Correct. Aliasing allows a PE to advertise MACs for other PEs in the same ES, making all active paths known.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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