350-501 Architecture Practice Question
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
{
"color": 100,
"endpoint": {
"type": "srte",
"prefix": "10.10.10.1/32"
},
"candidate-paths": {
"preference": 200,
"constraints": {
"constraint-type": "affinity",
"affinity-map": ["BLUE"]
}
}
}Refer to the exhibit. This JSON policy is used for Segment Routing Traffic Engineering. What is the purpose of the 'color' attribute?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently confuse the 'color' attribute with the 'preference' value, as both are numerical values used in SR-TE policy selection, but 'color' identifies the policy itself while 'preference' selects among candidate paths within that policy.
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 identifies a specific SR-TE policy to be used for traffic steering
In Segment Routing Traffic Engineering (SR-TE), the 'color' attribute is a 32-bit numerical value that, combined with the destination prefix, uniquely identifies an SR-TE policy. This allows traffic to be steered into a specific policy based on color, enabling advanced traffic engineering use cases such as multi-topology routing or service-level agreement (SLA) differentiation.
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 sets the metric type for the path calculation
Why it's wrong here
Metric type (e.g., IGP, TE) is separate from color.
- ✗
It defines the preference value for the candidate path
Why it's wrong here
Preference is defined under candidate-paths, not color.
- ✓
It identifies a specific SR-TE policy to be used for traffic steering
Why this is correct
Color is used to match traffic via color-based forwarding.
- ✗
It specifies the link affinity constraint for the path
Why it's wrong here
Link affinity is specified under constraints, not color.
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