hardMultiple Choice
200-901 Practice Question: Is configuring EtherChannel between two switches
A network engineer is configuring EtherChannel between two switches. The switches are connected via four links. The engineer wants to load balance traffic based on source and destination IP addresses. Which configuration command should be used on Cisco IOS?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse the EtherChannel load-balance keywords, mistakenly selecting 'src-dst-mac' (Layer 2) when the question specifies IP addresses, or picking a single-address option like 'src-ip' or 'dst-ip' instead of the combined 'src-dst-ip' that matches the requirement for both source and destination.
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
✓
port-channel load-balance src-dst-ip
The command 'port-channel load-balance src-dst-ip' configures EtherChannel to use both the source and destination IP addresses in the hash algorithm, which is exactly what the engineer needs for load balancing based on source and destination IP addresses. This ensures traffic distribution across the four links by computing a hash on the combination of source and destination IPs, providing a balanced distribution for IP traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
port-channel load-balance src-ip
Why it's wrong here
src-ip hashes only the source IP address, so flows from a single host to many destinations collapse onto one member link. It is tempting because it is IP-based, but the requirement is source and destination IP, which only src-dst-ip satisfies.
- ✗
port-channel load-balance dst-ip
Why it's wrong here
dst-ip hashes only the destination IP address, so many sources reaching one server collapse onto a single member link. It is tempting because it is IP-based, but the requirement is source and destination IP, which only src-dst-ip satisfies.
- ✗
port-channel load-balance src-dst-mac
Why it's wrong here
src-dst-mac hashes source and destination MAC addresses, so all traffic between two IP hosts sharing a next-hop MAC lands on one member link. It is tempting because MAC-based hashing suits switch-to-switch topologies, but the requirement specifies IP-based distribution, which src-dst-ip provides.
- ✓
port-channel load-balance src-dst-ip
Why this is correct
`port-channel load-balance src-dst-ip` hashes each frame on the source and destination IP address pair, distributing traffic across all four EtherChannel member links. This satisfies the stem's requirement to load balance on both IP addresses, unlike MAC-based methods such as src-dst-mac, which ignore Layer 3 information entirely.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 200-901 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 200-901 exam.