Question 90
A fictional service-provider team at Ridgefield Carrier is reviewing a regional backbone upgrade. The finding is: A shared access segment has unexpected forwarding behavior after root failure because alternate and designated roles were not identified. Which observation would most directly establish that the reported failure has been repaired?
Explanation
Correct Answer
The alternate port assumes an appropriate forwarding role on failure without allowing simultaneous Layer 2 loops. It tests the failed behavior itself rather than merely confirming that a configuration was committed. RSTP port roles and rapid state transitions support fast loop-free reconvergence, unlike simply forcing all redundant ports forwarding. Applied here, the relevant facts are: A shared access segment has unexpected forwarding behavior after root failure because alternate and designated roles were not identified. The question asks which observation would most directly establish that the reported failure has been repaired.
Incorrect Answers
The check is meaningful for OSPF MTU negotiation, but it does not prove that RSTP alternate port reconvergence was repaired. RSTP port roles and rapid state transitions support fast loop-free reconvergence, unlike simply forcing all redundant ports forwarding.
The impacted non-designated port stays protected while BPDUs are absent and returns only after control-plane health is restored. That establishes RSTP loop protection rather than a repaired RSTP alternate port reconvergence path. The reported failure still requires this evidence: the alternate port assumes an appropriate forwarding role on failure without allowing simultaneous Layer 2 loops.
Adjacent devices report matching MST region configuration and VLANs map to the same intended instances. That establishes MSTP region consistency rather than a repaired RSTP alternate port reconvergence path. The reported failure still requires this evidence: the alternate port assumes an appropriate forwarding role on failure without allowing simultaneous Layer 2 loops. Applied here, the relevant facts are: A shared access segment has unexpected forwarding behavior after root failure because alternate and designated roles were not identified. The question asks which observation would most directly establish that the reported failure has been repaired.