hardMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Runs the following command on Router R6: R6# show…
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R6:
R6# show ip bgp vpnv4 all summary
BGP router identifier 10.0.0.6, local AS number 65000 BGP table version is 10, main routing table version 10 10 network entries using 1440 bytes of memory 10 path entries using 800 bytes of memory 4/3 BGP path/bestpath attribute entries using 576 bytes of memory 2 BGP AS-PATH entries using 48 bytes of memory 0 BGP route-map cache entries using 0 bytes of memory 0 BGP filter-list cache entries using 0 bytes of memory Bitfield cache entries: current 1 (at peak 2) using 32 bytes of memory BGP using 2896 total bytes of memory BGP activity 20/10 prefixes, 20/10 paths, scan interval 60 secs
Neighbor V AS MsgRcvd MsgSent TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/PfxRcd 10.0.0.7 4 65001 1000 1000 10 0 0 00:20:00 5 10.0.0.8 4 65002 500 500 10 0 0 00:10:00 3
Based on this output, what can be concluded?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misinterpretation of the 'State/PfxRcd' column, where candidates mistakenly think a numeric value indicates a state like 'Idle' or 'Active', rather than recognizing it as the count of received prefixes confirming an Established session.
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 router is receiving VPNv4 prefixes from both neighbors.
The output shows that neighbor 10.0.0.7 (AS 65001) has 5 prefixes received (State/PfxRcd = 5) and neighbor 10.0.0.8 (AS 65002) has 3 prefixes received (State/PfxRcd = 3). Since the command 'show ip bgp vpnv4 all summary' specifically displays VPNv4 address family information, these received prefixes are VPNv4 routes. Therefore, Router R6 is successfully receiving VPNv4 prefixes from both BGP neighbors.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Both BGP sessions are in the Idle state.
Why it's wrong here
In the output of a 'show bgp vpnv4 unicast all neighbors' command, the State/PfxRcd column reports either the BGP finite-state-machine state or the number of prefixes received. The values 5 and 3 are numeric prefix counts, which are only displayed when the session has reached the Established state and route exchange is occurring. If both sessions were Idle, the column would explicitly show 'Idle' (or possibly 'Active' or 'Connect'), not a count. Therefore, the statement that both BGP sessions are in Idle is contradicted by the visible prefix counts.
- ✓
The router is receiving VPNv4 prefixes from both neighbors.
Why this is correct
The State/PfxRcd values of 5 and 3 for the two neighbors indicate that the local router has received a total of eight VPNv4 unicast prefixes from them. Because the command is issued under the VPNv4 address family, these prefixes are VPNv4 routes, which carry an 8-byte route distinguisher and are used in MPLS L3VPN to propagate customer prefixes across the provider backbone. The nonzero counts prove active, established sessions and successful VPNv4 route exchange with both peers, so the correct interpretation is that the router is receiving VPNv4 prefixes from both neighbors.
- ✗
The BGP table has no entries because the table version is 10.
Why it's wrong here
The BGP table version is a monotonically increasing counter that is incremented every time the BGP routing table is updated (e.g., when routes are added, withdrawn, or changed). It does not represent the number of entries in the table; a table can have a version of 10 with zero entries or with hundreds of entries, depending on the history of updates. In the output, a separate line typically reports the number of network entries (often shown as '10 network entries' or similar), which indicates the table actually contains 10 prefixes. Thus, the table version of 10 does not imply an empty BGP table.
- ✗
The neighbor 10.0.0.8 is not configured for VPNv4.
Why it's wrong here
For a BGP neighbor to exchange VPNv4 prefixes, it must be explicitly activated under the VPNv4 address family with the 'neighbor X.X.X.X activate' command and appropriate capability negotiation. The output shows that neighbor 10.0.0.8 has a State/PfxRcd count of 3, meaning three VPNv4 prefixes have been received from it and the session is Established. A neighbor that is not configured for VPNv4 would not have any prefixes in the VPNv4 table, and the State/PfxRcd column would show 'Idle' or 'Active' rather than a numeric count. Therefore, the assertion that 10.0.0.8 is not configured for VPNv4 is false.
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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.