350-401 Infrastructure Practice Question
A network engineer is implementing a first-hop redundancy protocol on a pair of Cisco switches. The design requires that the virtual IP address be the same as one of the physical interface addresses, and that the standby group use a virtual MAC address of 0000.0c07.acXX. Which protocol meets these requirements?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is mixing up the virtual MAC address formats of HSRP, VRRP, and GLBP; only HSRP uses the 0000.0c07.acXX prefix.
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
✓
HSRP
HSRP is a Cisco-proprietary first-hop redundancy protocol that uses the virtual MAC address 0000.0c07.acXX and permits the virtual IP to be the same as a physical interface IP. VRRP and GLBP use different MAC address formats. Therefore, HSRP uniquely satisfies both conditions in the scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
VRRP
Why it's wrong here
VRRP uses a virtual MAC address of 0000.5e00.01XX, not 0000.0c07.acXX. While VRRP also allows the virtual IP to be the same as a physical interface address, the MAC address format is different. Therefore, VRRP does not meet the stated MAC address requirement.
- ✗
SLB
Why it's wrong here
Server Load Balancing (SLB) is a feature for load balancing traffic to servers, not a first-hop redundancy protocol. It does not provide a virtual gateway IP or the specified MAC address. SLB is unrelated to the requirement of providing redundant default gateways for hosts.
- ✗
GLBP
Why it's wrong here
GLBP uses a virtual MAC address of 0007.b400.XXYY, where XX is the group number and YY is the forwarder number. It does not use the 0000.0c07.acXX format. GLBP also provides load balancing, which is not mentioned as a requirement. Thus, GLBP is incorrect for this scenario.
- ✓
HSRP
Why this is correct
HSRP uses a virtual MAC address of 0000.0c07.acXX, where XX is the group number in hexadecimal. It also allows the virtual IP address to be the same as one of the physical interface addresses on the active router. This matches the requirements exactly, making HSRP the correct choice.
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
Related to this question
Learn chapter
VLANs and Spanning Tree Protocol Concepts
Key term
High Availability in Enterprise Networks
High Availability in Enterprise Networks is the design principle that ensures network services remain accessible and operational with minimal downtime, even when individual components fail.
Key term
First Hop Redundancy Protocol
A First Hop Redundancy Protocol provides automatic backup for the default gateway router on a network so that devices keep working if the primary router fails.
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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 350-401 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 350-401 exam.