350-501 Networking Practice Question
Which THREE actions can help mitigate the impact of BGP prefix flapping in a service provider network?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between mechanisms that reduce control-plane churn (summarization, dampening) versus those that maintain forwarding during failures (graceful restart), leading candidates to incorrectly select graceful restart as a flapping mitigation tool.
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
✓
Use route summarization.
Route summarization (A) reduces the number of BGP prefixes advertised, which inherently limits the impact of flapping because a single summary prefix represents many more-specific prefixes. If a specific subprefix flaps, the aggregate remains stable, preventing the flapping from propagating to BGP peers. This is a proactive approach to minimize the control-plane churn caused by unstable routes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Use route summarization.
Why this is correct
Summarization aggregates multiple prefixes, reducing the impact of individual flaps.
- ✓
Implement route dampening.
Why this is correct
Route dampening suppresses flapping prefixes by assigning penalties.
- ✗
Use BGP peer groups.
Why it's wrong here
Peer groups reduce configuration and CPU overhead but do not mitigate flapping.
- ✓
Increase the BGP hold timer.
Why this is correct
A longer hold timer gives more time for a flapping peer to stabilize before being declared down.
- ✗
Apply BGP graceful restart.
Why it's wrong here
Graceful restart preserves forwarding during control plane restart, not for flapping.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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