Cisco CCIE Data Center lab exam Exam Practice Test
The CCIE Data Center lab exam practice page covers data-center networking concepts represented in its question bank, including routed connectivity, Ethernet switching, OSPF, BGP, IPv6 tunneling, and gateway resilience. Questions also touch Cisco Nexus configuration tasks such as applying interface ACLs and saving device configuration. These areas connect control-plane behavior with the packet-forwarding and operational decisions engineers make in data-center environments.
Exam overview
About the Cisco CCIE Data Center lab exam Exam
Scenarios ask you to select configuration behavior that fits a network condition: advertise a connected route through an OSPF interface, suppress neighbor formation while retaining route advertisement, or choose point-to-point OSPF where no designated router election is needed. Other items examine BGP LOCAL_PREF, IPv6-over-IPv4 encapsulation, and how a host addresses a same-subnet Ethernet frame after resolving its peer. Nexus-focused questions address inbound ACL direction and preserving running changes in startup configuration. Work through each problem by identifying the relevant protocol layer, expected control-plane outcome, and effect on traffic or device state. The bank’s examples span routing, switching, first-hop availability, and device administration; they are useful for checking whether you can distinguish similar commands and behaviors in concrete network situations.
Sample Practice Questions
Review a selection from this exam's published US Practice Tests practice bank.
An engineer configures an IPv4 address on a routed interface and wants OSPF to advertise the connected network without matching it through a broad network statement. Which OSPF interface-level command provides this behavior?
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Correct answer: BOn Cisco platforms that support interface-level OSPF configuration, `ip ospf <process-id> area <area-id>` enables OSPF directly on the interface and assigns it to the specified area.
A data-center fabric uses IPv4 underlay links and needs to carry IPv6 packets across them using an IP tunnel. Which encapsulation approach can provide IPv6-over-IPv4 transport?
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Correct answer: AGeneric Routing Encapsulation can encapsulate an IPv6 packet inside an IPv4 packet for transport across an IPv4 network, when supported and configured at the tunnel endpoints.
In an Ethernet fabric, what is the primary role of the Spanning Tree Protocol?
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Correct answer: BSpanning Tree Protocol detects redundant Layer 2 paths and places selected links into a non-forwarding state to prevent bridging loops, while retaining redundancy for failover.
In an IPv4 subnet, a host needs to send a packet to another host on the same local subnet. Which destination Layer 2 address does it use after resolving the peer’s address?
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Correct answer: BFor same-subnet communication, the sender resolves the destination host’s IPv4 address to its MAC address and sends the Ethernet frame directly to that host rather than to the default gateway.
An engineer configures two OSPF routers on a point-to-point routed link. What OSPF network type is generally appropriate when there are exactly two routers and no need to elect a DR or BDR?
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Correct answer: CThe point-to-point OSPF network type models a link between two routers and does not require DR/BDR election. On Cisco platforms, the network type may be configured explicitly when the interface’s default does not match the intended topology.
When a Cisco router evaluates candidate BGP paths to a prefix, what is the usual preference between otherwise comparable routes when one has a higher LOCAL_PREF value?
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Correct answer: AWithin an autonomous system, BGP generally prefers the path with the higher LOCAL_PREF value, all else being equal. LOCAL_PREF communicates the AS's preferred outbound path among its internal BGP speakers and is not normally sent to external peers.
A Nexus switch must apply an ACL to traffic entering a physical interface. Which configuration direction evaluates packets as they arrive on that interface?
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Correct answer: AAn inbound ACL is evaluated as packets enter the interface; an outbound ACL is evaluated as they leave it. Applying an ACL in the intended direction is essential to filtering the desired traffic.
How to use this practice test
Access the practice questions for free. A session presents up to 20 random questions from the available bank of 50, then shows your results. Use missed or uncertain items to identify specific concepts to revisit, such as OSPF interface behavior, BGP path preference, or Nexus configuration commands.
Preparation tips
- For OSPF questions, distinguish interface-level network advertisement from neighbor formation, and identify when point-to-point operation removes the need for DR/BDR election.
- Trace a same-subnet IPv4 packet through ARP resolution and Ethernet framing; separate the Layer 3 destination address from the destination MAC address.
- Compare BGP LOCAL_PREF values and state which candidate path is preferred when other relevant attributes are comparable.
- Review IPv6-over-IPv4 tunnel encapsulation and identify which packet becomes the outer header on an IPv4 underlay.
- Practice Nexus interface ACL direction and configuration persistence: determine when traffic is evaluated inbound and how running configuration is saved for reload.