350-401 Infrastructure Practice Question
A network engineer is configuring a new Cisco Catalyst 9300 switch stack. The design requires that if the active switch fails, the standby switch takes over the active role, and the member switch that was formerly standby becomes the new standby. The engineer needs to verify and influence the election order. Which mechanism determines the active and standby switch election in a switch stack?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that the first switch powered on or the one with the lowest MAC address always becomes active, overlooking the configurable stack priority that can override these factors.
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 switch with the highest priority value becomes active, and the switch with the second-highest priority becomes standby.
Stack priority is the primary factor in electing the active and standby switches. A higher priority wins; if priorities are equal, the lower MAC address wins. This allows administrators to design deterministic failover by setting priorities appropriately. The other options incorrectly cite MAC address, serial number, or power-on order as the primary election criteria.
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 switch that is powered on first becomes active, and the switch that is powered on last becomes standby.
Why it's wrong here
Power-on order does not determine the stack roles. Although the first switch to boot may temporarily become active if others are not yet up, the final election is based on stack priority and MAC address. Once all switches are up, a higher-priority switch can take over as active, preempting the initial active switch.
- ✗
The switch with the lowest MAC address is always active, and the switch with the highest MAC address is always standby.
Why it's wrong here
MAC address is only a tiebreaker when stack priorities are equal. It does not override a configured priority value. If one switch has a higher priority, it becomes active regardless of its MAC address. Therefore, this statement is not the primary election mechanism and would be incorrect in a scenario where priorities differ.
- ✗
The switch with the highest serial number becomes active, and the switch with the second-highest serial number becomes standby.
Why it's wrong here
Serial numbers are not used in the stack election process. Cisco stack elections use a configurable priority value, not hardware serial numbers. Serial numbers are unique identifiers for support and licensing, but they do not influence which member becomes active or standby. This option is a plausible but incorrect distractor.
- ✓
The switch with the highest priority value becomes active, and the switch with the second-highest priority becomes standby.
Why this is correct
In a Cisco switch stack, the active and standby switches are elected based on the stack priority value. If priorities are equal, the switch with the lowest MAC address wins. This priority can be configured with the 'switch X priority Y' command, allowing deterministic control over which member becomes active and which becomes standby.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
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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
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