easyMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: An engineer is deploying a virtual router…
An engineer is deploying a virtual router (vRouter) on a Cisco NFVIS host. The vRouter needs to advertise routes to a physical router connected to the host's management port. The engineer configures the vRouter with an IP address on the same subnet as the management port. However, the physical router does not receive any routing updates. What should the engineer do to enable route exchange?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that the management port can be used for data-plane functions like routing protocol exchange, when in fact NFVIS strictly isolates management traffic to a separate bridge that does not support Layer 3 routing adjacencies.
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
✓
Connect the vRouter to a data plane interface (e.g., a bridge connected to a physical data port) instead of the management port.
In Cisco NFVIS, the management port is isolated from the data plane and is intended only for out-of-band management traffic. Routing protocols like OSPF or BGP cannot exchange routes over the management interface because it lacks the necessary data-plane forwarding capabilities. To advertise routes to a physical router, the vRouter must be connected to a data plane interface, such as a bridge mapped to a physical data port, which supports routing protocol adjacency and packet forwarding.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a static route on the vRouter pointing to the physical router.
Why it's wrong here
Configuring a static route on the vRouter toward the physical router would only define a next hop for specific destinations; it does not enable OSPF to form adjacencies. OSPF requires multicast hello messages and protocol state exchange on an interface that is part of the routing domain. Since the management interface is isolated from the data plane, a static route cannot resolve the missing multi-access link connectivity needed for OSPF neighbor discovery.
- ✗
Enable OSPF on the vRouter's management interface.
Why it's wrong here
Enabling OSPF on the management interface is ineffective because that interface is designed for out-of-band administration and often resides in a distinct management VRF or network segment. OSPF packets sent toward the management network will not reach the physical router's data-plane forwarding interfaces, so no adjacency will form. Additionally, management interfaces typically lack the bandwidth and topology connectivity required for dynamic routing protocol exchange.
- ✗
Change the management port to a trunk port to carry routing updates.
Why it's wrong here
Changing the management port to a trunk port does not solve the underlying isolation problem, because a trunk port merely carries multiple VLANs at Layer 2; it does not reposition the vRouter into the data-plane forwarding path. OSPF neighbor relationships rely on IP connectivity and Layer 3 reachability, not on VLAN trunking. The management interface is still physically associated with the management plane, so routing updates would remain segregated from the OSPF area.
- ✓
Connect the vRouter to a data plane interface (e.g., a bridge connected to a physical data port) instead of the management port.
Why this is correct
The vRouter must attach to a data plane interface—such as a Linux bridge or OVS bridge bound to a physical NIC—so that its OSPF packets traverse the same forwarding network as the physical router. This places the vRouter in-band, allowing multicast hello packets and database descriptors to reach the OSPF neighbor. Only then will router LSA exchange and adjacency state transitions occur properly over the intended routed network.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
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