10 free Cisco 300-610 DCID practice questions with the correct answer and a full explanation for each, taken from the CertStash pack of 306 questions. Work through them, then open each answer to check your reasoning.
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Question 1
What is an advantage of using OTV as compared to VPLS for data center redundancy?
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Correct answer: C. uses a proactive MAC advertisement
OTV uses proactive MAC advertisement, where MAC addresses are learned and advertised before traffic flows, reducing MAC learning latency across overlay networks. This is a key architectural difference from VPLS, which relies on reactive MAC learning when traffic is sent. Proactive advertisement enables faster convergence and more efficient forwarding in data center redundancy scenarios.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Point-to-point link loop prevention is not a distinguishing advantage of OTV over VPLS.
- B. Head-end replication is a characteristic of VPLS multicast handling, not an OTV advantage.
- D. Full-mesh connectivity can be achieved with both OTV and VPLS depending on configuration.
Question 2
Which multicast rendezvous point redundancy mode is valid for Bidirectional PIM?
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Correct answer: B. Phantom RP
Phantom RP is a valid redundancy mode for Bidirectional PIM that allows multiple physical RPs to act as a single logical RP by sharing the same IP address. This enables seamless failover and load sharing in Bidir-PIM deployments without disrupting multicast group operations.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Embedded RP is used in PIM-SM, not specifically for Bidirectional PIM redundancy.
- C. MSDP is a separate mechanism for RP-to-RP communication in PIM-SM, not a Bidir- PIM redundancy mode.
- D. PIM anycast RP is a redundancy method for PIM-SM, not the primary mode for Bidirectional PIM.
Question 3
An engineer deploys LISP VM mobility.
Which feature is configured on the interfaces that have VM mobility enabled?
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Correct answer: C. proxy ARP
Proxy ARP is configured on interfaces with LISP VM mobility enabled to allow virtual machines to migrate between physical locations while maintaining their IP addresses. Proxy ARP enables the receiving site to respond to ARP requests for the migrated VM's IP address, facilitating seamless mobility without gratuitous ARP flooding.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. IP redirects are not specifically configured for LISP VM mobility.
- B. Flow control is a network performance feature unrelated to VM mobility configuration.
- D. HSRP is a redundancy protocol not required for LISP VM mobility implementation.
Question 4
What are two advantages of using Cisco vPC over traditional access layer designs? (Choose two.)
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Correct answer: C, D
C. no spanning-tree blocked ports D. uses all available uplink bandwidth vPC eliminates spanning-tree blocked ports by allowing active-active forwarding on both peer links simultaneously, enabling full utilization of available uplink bandwidth. Unlike traditional access layer designs where spanning tree blocks redundant paths, vPC treats both uplinks as active, eliminating the bandwidth waste associated with blocked ports and providing true load balancing across all available links.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. vPC does not support Layer 3 port channels; it operates at Layer 2.
- B. vPC does not disable spanning-tree; spanning-tree still runs but blocked ports are eliminated through vPC design.
- E. vPC maintains dual control planes on each peer device; it does not consolidate to a single control plane.
Question 5
What is a design consideration when implementing FSPF?
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Correct answer: A. Routes are based on the domain ID.
FSPF (Fibre Channel Shortest Path First) routing is based on domain IDs, which are unique identifiers assigned to each switch in the Fibre Channel fabric. Routes are computed using these domain IDs as the primary routing metric, making domain ID assignment and management a critical design consideration when implementing FSPF.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. FSPF is a link-state protocol, not a distance vector protocol.
- C. FSPF runs on E Ports and Inter-Switch Links (ISLs), not exclusively on F Ports.
- D. FSPF runs on a per-fabric basis across all switches in the fabric, not on a per-chassis basis.
Question 6
Which two features are provided by deploying an OOB management network in a Cisco Nexus data center? (Choose two.)
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Correct answer: A, D
A. Layer 3 path for monitoring purposes D. Layer 3 path for vPC keepalive packets An out-of-band management network provides a separate Layer 3 path for management traffic, including vPC keepalive packets between peer switches. This isolation ensures that management and monitoring functions remain operational independently of data plane congestion. The OOB network also provides Layer 3 connectivity for management purposes such as monitoring, logging, and system administration.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. The OOB network is Layer 3, not Layer 2, for management purposes.
- C. The vPC peer link is a data plane link, not managed through the OOB network; only vPC keepalive traffic uses OOB.
- E. OOB management networks are not intended for server traffic; they are isolated management paths only.
Question 7
The management of the Cisco Nexus switches is provided over an isolated put-of-band network. The VDC feature is configured on the Cisco Nexus core switches.
How is out-of-band management access provided for each VDC?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: C. Each VDC has a unique out-of-band IP address from the same IP subnet.
the same IP subnet. Each VDC on Cisco Nexus switches has a unique out-of-band IP address, but these addresses are assigned from the same IP subnet. This allows each VDC to maintain independent management access while sharing the same out-of-band management infrastructure, simplifying network design while preserving VDC isolation.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Each VDC requires a unique IP address for independent management access.
- B. VDCs share physical ports but have separate management instances; they do not require dedicated physical management ports per VDC.
- D. VDCs use the same IP subnet for out-of-band management, not different subnets.
Question 8
Which two configurations allow for routing traffic between two VDCs? (Choose two.)
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Correct answer: A, B
A. Connect the VDCs to an external Layer 3 device. B. Cross-connect the ports between the VDCs. Traffic between VDCs can be routed by connecting both VDCs to an external Layer 3 device, which acts as an intermediary router between the VDC domains. Additionally, cross-connecting ports between VDCs allows direct Layer 2/3 connectivity between them, enabling routing at the VDC boundary. These are the two primary methods for enabling inter-VDC communication in Nexus environments.
Why the other options are wrong
- C. VRF-aware software infrastructure interfaces are not a standard mechanism for routing between VDCs.
- D. Policy maps in the default VDC do not provide routing between separate VDCs; VDCs are isolated by design.
- E. Interfaces created in one VDC cannot be directly accessed by another VDC due to VDC isolation.
Question 9
Which protocol prevents fiber failures from causing a Layer 2 loop in a dark fiber DCI?
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Correct answer: B. UDLD
UDLD (Unidirectional Link Detection) is specifically designed to detect and prevent unidirectional link failures in fiber connections. In a dark fiber DCI environment where there is no intermediary equipment, UDLD operates at Layer 2 to identify when one direction of a bidirectional link fails, preventing Layer 2 loops that would result from asymmetric link behavior. BFD operates at Layer 3, LLDP is for link discovery, and MCP is not a standard protocol for this purpose.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. BFD operates at Layer 3 and is designed for routing protocol failure detection, not Layer 2 fiber link validation.
- C. MCP is not a recognized protocol for detecting fiber link failures in DCI environments.
- D. LLDP is a discovery protocol used to advertise device information, not to prevent Layer 2 loops from fiber failures.
Question 10
What are two characteristics of VRF-Lite on the Cisco NX-OS platform? (Choose two.)
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Correct answer: C, D
C. Overlapping IP addresses are permitted on different VRFs. D. Interfaces that belong to VRFs can be physical or logical. VRF-Lite on Cisco NX-OS allows interfaces to belong to VRFs and these interfaces can be either physical (Ethernet) or logical (subinterfaces, port-channels). VRF-Lite enables overlapping IP address spaces across different VRFs through logical isolation. Layer 3 interfaces belong to exactly one VRF (not multiple), VRF-Lite interfaces are Layer 3 by nature (not Layer 2), and MPLS support in VRF-Lite varies by platform and configuration and is not a defining characteristic.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Each Layer 3 interface can only belong to a single VRF; multiple VRF membership is not supported.
- B. VRF-Lite operates at Layer 3; interfaces must be Layer 3 interfaces, not Layer 2.
- E. MPLS is not a standard characteristic of VRF-Lite on NX-OS platforms.
That was 10 of 306.
The full Cisco 300-610 DCID pack has all 306 questions, each with the answer, the explanation and why the other options are wrong, plus a questions-only copy for timed runs. US$39, paid once, with free monthly updates and a pass-or-your-money-back guarantee.
