350-401 Network Assurance Practice Question
A network engineer is troubleshooting a Cisco SD-WAN deployment where some branches experience intermittent packet loss. The engineer suspects that the issue is related to the control plane connections between vEdge routers and the vSmart controller. Which command should be used on a vEdge router to verify the status of the control connections?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that OMP session status alone is sufficient to diagnose control plane issues, when the underlying control connection state must also be verified.
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
✓
show control connections
The 'show control connections' command on a vEdge router provides detailed information about the control plane connections to vSmart controllers, including state, uptime, and any errors. Since the engineer suspects control plane instability causing intermittent packet loss, this command is the most direct way to verify the status and health of those connections.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
show bfd sessions
Why it's wrong here
The 'show bfd sessions' command displays BFD sessions used for data plane liveness detection. While BFD can indicate path failures, it does not show control plane connection status to vSmart. The issue here is suspected control plane connectivity, so this command is not the best fit.
- ✗
show interface
Why it's wrong here
The 'show interface' command provides statistics about physical or logical interfaces, such as errors and drops. While it can reveal physical layer issues, it does not specifically show control plane connections to vSmart. The problem is suspected at the control plane level, so this command is less direct.
- ✓
show control connections
Why this is correct
The 'show control connections' command displays the state of control plane connections between the vEdge router and vSmart controllers, including uptime, local and remote IPs, and status. This directly helps verify if the control plane is stable, which is crucial for diagnosing intermittent packet loss due to control plane issues.
- ✗
show omp sessions
Why it's wrong here
The 'show omp sessions' command shows OMP (Overlay Management Protocol) peering status, which runs over the control connections. However, it does not provide details about the underlying control connection state itself. If the control connection is flapping, OMP sessions may also flap, but the root cause is better seen with control connection status.
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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
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