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Cisco 350-401: Active Switch Actions When Adding New Cisco StackWise Stack

Learn what the active switch does when a new switch is added to a Cisco StackWise stack. Detailed 350-401 certification exam question explanation.

Table of Contents

Question

An engineer adds a new switch to a Cisco StackWise stack. The switch that was active before the switch was added is elected as the active switch again. Which action does the active switch take?

A. It suspends traffic forwarding until the new switch is updated with the current running configuration of the stack.
B. It checks the IOS and running configuration of the new switch and updates them if necessary to match the other switches in the stack.
C. It removes any Layer 3 configuration on the new switch to maintain normal Layer 2 functionality on the stack.
D. It clears the MAC table of the stack and relearns the attached devices.

Answer

B. It checks the IOS and running configuration of the new switch and updates them if necessary to match the other switches in the stack.

Explanation

When a new switch is added to a Cisco StackWise stack and the previously active switch is re-elected as the active:

B. The active switch checks the IOS version and running configuration of the new switch and updates them if necessary to match the other switches in the stack.

In a Cisco StackWise stack, all member switches must run the same Cisco IOS software version and have consistent configurations. When a new switch joins the stack, the active switch takes responsibility for bringing the new switch in line with the rest of the stack.

The active switch compares its own IOS version and running configuration with those of the new switch. If the new switch has a different IOS version, the active switch automatically copies its IOS image to the new switch and reboots it with the matching version. If the new switch’s running configuration differs from the stack’s, the active switch replaces the new switch’s configuration with its own.

This process ensures a unified software and configuration environment across the StackWise stack, which is essential for proper operation. The active switch does not suspend traffic forwarding (A), remove Layer 3 configs (C), or clear the MAC address table (D) when a new switch is added.

So in summary, the active switch in a Cisco StackWise stack takes responsibility for checking and synchronizing the IOS version and running configuration of any newly added stack member.

Cisco 350-401 certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Cisco 350-401 exam and earn Cisco 350-401 certification.