350-501 MPLS and Segment Routing Practice Question
Which two MPLS OAM tools can be used to troubleshoot label switching paths? (Choose two)
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between control-plane verification (like 'show ip route' or 'ping') and data-plane OAM tools (like MPLS LSP ping and MPLS echo request), leading candidates to mistakenly select generic IP tools that cannot validate label switching.
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
✓
MPLS LSP ping
MPLS LSP ping (option C) is an OAM tool specifically designed to verify the data plane of an MPLS label switched path (LSP) by sending an MPLS echo request packet with a target FEC stack, which is forwarded along the LSP and validated by the egress LSR. This tests the actual label forwarding path, not just the control plane, making it a correct choice for troubleshooting LSPs.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
traceroute
Why it's wrong here
IP traceroute shows layer 3 hops, not MPLS LSP details.
- ✗
show ip route
Why it's wrong here
This command shows the routing table, not MPLS OAM tools.
- ✓
MPLS LSP ping
Why this is correct
MPLS LSP ping sends MPLS echo request to verify LSP connectivity.
- ✗
ping
Why it's wrong here
IP ping does not use MPLS labels and cannot test LSPs.
- ✓
MPLS echo request
Why this is correct
MPLS echo request is the underlying packet type used by LSP ping and traceroute.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 971 original 350-501 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-501 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-501 exam.