hardMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: An engineer configures an RSPAN session on a…
An engineer configures an RSPAN session on a Cisco switch to monitor traffic from VLAN 30 and send it to a remote switch. The engineer creates RSPAN VLAN 200 on both switches and configures the trunk to allow VLAN 200. On the remote switch, the engineer configures the destination port as GigabitEthernet0/4 in VLAN 200. The engineer notices that the destination port is forwarding traffic, but the traffic is not from the source VLAN 30; instead, it is broadcast traffic from other VLANs. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming RSPAN issues are always about trunk pruning or source VLAN configuration; the exam instead tests whether you know the RSPAN VLAN must be a dedicated, unused VLAN — a subtle design rule that causes 'extra' traffic on the monitor port.
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
✓
The RSPAN VLAN is also being used for other VLAN traffic due to misconfiguration.
The RSPAN VLAN (200) is a dedicated transport VLAN that must not carry any regular user or broadcast traffic. If VLAN 200 is also assigned to access ports or allowed on trunks carrying other VLANs, the destination monitor port will receive that unrelated traffic instead of only the mirrored source VLAN 30 traffic. The symptom described — destination port forwarding broadcast traffic from other VLANs — is the classic sign that the RSPAN VLAN is being shared with production 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.
- ✓
The RSPAN VLAN is also being used for other VLAN traffic due to misconfiguration.
Why this is correct
An RSPAN VLAN must be dedicated; if ordinary VLAN traffic is bridged into it, the destination port receives that broadcast traffic instead of only mirrored source traffic. The RSPAN VLAN 200 is carrying other VLAN traffic.
- ✗
The source VLAN is not configured correctly on the source switch.
Why it's wrong here
VLAN 30 is already the monitored source; misconfiguring it would drop that traffic entirely, not deliver unrelated broadcasts. This option tempts engineers who assume source-side faults, yet the symptom of other VLANs' broadcasts arriving points to the RSPAN VLAN itself being flooded as a normal VLAN rather than isolated.
- ✗
The destination port is in the wrong VLAN.
Why it's wrong here
Placing the destination port in RSPAN VLAN 200 is exactly what the design requires, so this is not the fault. The option tempts candidates who see a VLAN mismatch, but the real issue is that VLAN 200 was not declared as an RSPAN VLAN, so it floods broadcasts like any ordinary VLAN.
- ✗
The trunk is not pruning VLAN 200 correctly.
Why it's wrong here
Pruning controls which VLANs traverse a trunk; it does not cause a single VLAN's broadcasts to leak onto a destination port. The option tempts engineers focused on trunk filtering, but the actual fault is that VLAN 200 was not configured as an RSPAN VLAN, so it behaves as a normal flooding VLAN.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 300-410 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 300-410 exam.