mediumMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Runs the following command on Switch SW2: SW2#…
A network engineer runs the following command on Switch SW2:
SW2# show interfaces port-channel 1 etherchannel
Port-channel1 :
Age of the Port-channel = 0d:00h:10m:32s Logical slot/port = 16/1 Number of ports = 2 HotStandby port = null Port state = Port-channel Ag-Inuse Protocol = LACP
Ports in the Port-channel:
Index Load Port EC state No of bits ------+------+------+----------------+---------- 0 00 Gi0/0 Active 4 1 00 Gi0/1 Active 4
Time since last port bundled: 0d:00h:05m:23s Gi0/1
Based on this output, what can be concluded?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that a load value of '00' means the EtherChannel is down or not forwarding traffic, when in reality it only indicates no traffic has been load-balanced to that specific port at the time of the command output.
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
✓
Both member ports are in Active state, meaning they are participating in LACP negotiation.
The output shows both Gi0/0 and Gi0/1 in the 'Active' state under the LACP protocol. In LACP, the Active state means the ports are actively participating in LACP negotiation and have successfully formed the EtherChannel. The 'Port-channel Ag-Inuse' state confirms the port-channel is active and in use, forwarding 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 EtherChannel is not operational because the load is zero.
Why it's wrong here
The load counters in 'show etherchannel summary' represent the cumulative packet and byte count hashed per member port, so a value of zero simply indicates that no traffic has passed through that link since the counters were last cleared. EtherChannel health is determined by the port-channel state and LACP negotiation, not by the load column. Therefore, a zero load does not imply the bundle is operationally down.
- ✓
Both member ports are in Active state, meaning they are participating in LACP negotiation.
Why this is correct
Both member ports being in the 'Active' state means they are in LACP active mode and are actively exchanging LACP data units (LACPDUs) to negotiate and maintain the aggregation. This is a key indicator that the physical links have successfully formed an operational bundle, alongside the port-channel showing 'Ag-Inuse'. Thus, this is the correct observation about the EtherChannel's operational status.
- ✗
The port-channel is in 'Ag-Inuse' state, which means it is not yet forwarding traffic.
Why it's wrong here
The 'Ag-Inuse' state in the port-channel flags column indicates that the port-channel is the active aggregator in use by the system and is capable of forwarding frames; it signifies that the bundle is operational and in use, not that it is still coming up. A non-forwarding port-channel would display states like 'Ag-Not-Inuse', 'suspended', or a protocol state of 'down'. Therefore, interpreting 'Ag-Inuse' as 'not yet forwarding' is incorrect.
- ✗
Load balancing is set to source-destination IP, causing the zero load values.
Why it's wrong here
The load-balancing method, such as source-destination IP hashing, only determines how frames are selected for distribution across member links; it does not itself cause the load counters to read zero. Those counters reflect actual frames forwarded per port, so zeroes are simply the expected result when there is no traffic on the EtherChannel. Blaming the zero values on the configured hash algorithm is a misunderstanding of what the counters represent.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.