Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure (300-610 DCID) Practice Exam
Are you preparing for the Cisco Designing Cisco Data Center Infrastructure (DCID) 300-610 certification exam? Our comprehensive 300-610 DCID Practice Exam at Exam Sage is designed to help you master the essential concepts and skills needed to confidently pass this critical Cisco Data Center certification.
What is the 300-610 DCID Exam?
The 300-610 DCID exam tests your knowledge and expertise in designing Cisco data center infrastructure solutions. This exam covers a wide range of topics, including Cisco UCS architecture, Nexus switches, Cisco ACI fabrics, SAN and LAN connectivity, network virtualization, and automation. Achieving this certification validates your ability to design scalable, resilient, and efficient data center networks.
What Will You Learn?
Our practice exam prepares you to:
Understand Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) components and architecture
Design Layer 2 and Layer 3 network topologies for data centers
Configure and optimize Cisco Nexus switches and Virtual Port Channels (vPC)
Implement Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) for policy-driven automation
Design SAN and LAN connectivity using Fibre Channel and Ethernet technologies
Apply network virtualization techniques including VXLAN and OTV
Create high availability, redundancy, and disaster recovery plans
Understand automation and orchestration tools for Cisco data centers
Key Topics Covered
Cisco UCS architecture and service profiles
Cisco Nexus switch features and configuration
Cisco ACI fabric design and endpoint groups
SAN zoning and Fibre Channel configurations
LAN and SAN connectivity policies
Data center virtualization technologies (VXLAN, OTV)
Network security and segmentation with contracts
Fabric Interconnect and UCS Manager management
How to Pass the 300-610 DCID Exam
Passing the 300-610 DCID requires not just theoretical knowledge but also practical understanding of Cisco data center solutions. Here’s how our practice exam helps you succeed:
Realistic Practice Questions: Over 500 carefully crafted questions simulate the actual exam format and difficulty.
Detailed Explanations: Every question includes thorough answers and explanations to reinforce learning and clarify concepts.
Focused Study Areas: Questions cover all official Cisco exam topics to ensure comprehensive preparation.
Identify Weaknesses: Practice tests highlight your strengths and areas that need improvement.
Flexible Learning: Take practice tests anytime, anywhere on Exam Sage’s user-friendly platform.
Why Choose Exam Sage for Your 300-610 DCID Preparation?
Up-to-date Content: Our questions and explanations are regularly reviewed and updated to align with the latest Cisco exam objectives.
Expertly Crafted: Developed by certified Cisco professionals with real-world data center design experience.
Affordable & Accessible: Get lifetime access with affordable pricing, no hidden fees, and instant download.
Support & Resources: Benefit from helpful study tips, exam strategies, and a dedicated support team to guide your success.
Ready to ace the Cisco 300-610 DCID exam and advance your career in data center design?
Start your preparation today with Exam Sage’s practice exams and confidently step into the exam room with the knowledge and skills to succeed.
Sample Questions and Answers
1. Which Cisco technology provides unified management of physical and virtual devices in a data center?
A) Cisco ACI
B) Cisco UCS Manager
C) Cisco Nexus Dashboard
D) Cisco Prime Infrastructure
Answer: B) Cisco UCS Manager
Explanation: Cisco UCS Manager provides unified management of both physical and virtual server components within Cisco UCS environments, including blade servers and rack servers.
2. What is the primary benefit of Cisco Application Centric Infrastructure (ACI) in a data center design?
A) Static VLAN assignment
B) Policy-based automation and scalability
C) Manual network configuration
D) Legacy protocol support
Answer: B) Policy-based automation and scalability
Explanation: Cisco ACI enables centralized policy management that automates network provisioning and scaling, reducing manual configuration errors and enhancing agility.
3. Which layer in the Cisco data center design model typically handles routing between VLANs?
A) Access Layer
B) Core Layer
C) Distribution Layer
D) Management Layer
Answer: C) Distribution Layer
Explanation: The distribution layer aggregates access layer switches and handles routing between VLANs and enforces policies.
4. In a Cisco Nexus switch, what feature allows the forwarding of VLAN-tagged traffic between switches?
A) EtherChannel
B) VLAN Trunking Protocol (VTP)
C) 802.1Q Trunking
D) Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)
Answer: C) 802.1Q Trunking
Explanation: 802.1Q trunking tags VLAN traffic to allow multiple VLANs to be carried over a single physical link between switches.
5. Which Cisco data center technology is optimized for east-west traffic in a virtualized environment?
A) Layer 2 VPN
B) Overlay networks with VXLAN
C) MPLS L3VPN
D) GRE Tunneling
Answer: B) Overlay networks with VXLAN
Explanation: VXLAN overlays enable scalable Layer 2 networks over Layer 3 infrastructure, optimized for east-west traffic common in virtualized data centers.
6. What is the default routing protocol used in Cisco ACI fabrics?
A) OSPF
B) EIGRP
C) BGP
D) IS-IS
Answer: D) IS-IS
Explanation: Cisco ACI uses IS-IS as its default underlay routing protocol for fabric infrastructure due to its fast convergence and scalability.
7. Which Cisco UCS component is responsible for centralizing management of all server chassis and blades?
A) Fabric Interconnect
B) UCS Manager
C) Service Profile
D) Virtual Interface Card (VIC)
Answer: A) Fabric Interconnect
Explanation: Fabric Interconnects act as the central point for connectivity and management between servers and the network in UCS architecture.
8. What is the primary purpose of a Service Profile in Cisco UCS?
A) Assign IP addresses to servers
B) Define policies and identity for server blades
C) Manage VLAN trunks
D) Configure routing protocols
Answer: B) Define policies and identity for server blades
Explanation: Service Profiles abstract server hardware configuration such as BIOS settings, firmware, and network identities for rapid provisioning.
9. Which feature in Cisco Nexus switches provides Layer 2 multipathing to optimize bandwidth utilization?
A) Spanning Tree Protocol
B) FabricPath
C) VRRP
D) VTP
Answer: B) FabricPath
Explanation: FabricPath is a Cisco proprietary protocol that allows Layer 2 multipathing, enabling efficient use of multiple paths without STP blocking ports.
10. When designing a data center, which topology is best suited for high availability and scalability?
A) Star topology
B) Ring topology
C) Spine-Leaf topology
D) Bus topology
Answer: C) Spine-Leaf topology
Explanation: Spine-Leaf architecture provides predictable latency, bandwidth, and redundancy, supporting east-west traffic efficiently in modern data centers.
11. Which protocol is used by Cisco UCS to communicate between the fabric interconnects and server blades?
A) Fibre Channel
B) FCoE
C) Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP)
D) UCS Management Protocol (UCSMP)
Answer: D) UCS Management Protocol (UCSMP)
Explanation: UCSMP is the proprietary protocol that manages communication between fabric interconnects and server blades for management and configuration.
12. What does VXLAN use to uniquely identify Layer 2 segments over an IP network?
A) VLAN ID
B) VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI)
C) IP Subnet Mask
D) MAC Address
Answer: B) VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI)
Explanation: VXLAN encapsulates Layer 2 frames within UDP packets, tagging them with a 24-bit VNI to distinguish different virtual networks.
13. What role does the Spine switch play in a spine-leaf data center fabric?
A) Connects leaf switches and provides high-speed uplinks
B) Connects servers directly
C) Provides firewall services
D) Acts as an access switch
Answer: A) Connects leaf switches and provides high-speed uplinks
Explanation: Spine switches interconnect leaf switches and provide high-bandwidth, low-latency uplinks, forming the backbone of the fabric.
14. Which Cisco technology allows convergence of LAN and SAN traffic on the same physical infrastructure?
A) FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet)
B) iSCSI
C) MPLS
D) GRE
Answer: A) FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet)
Explanation: FCoE enables Fibre Channel frames to be encapsulated over Ethernet networks, reducing the need for separate SAN cabling.
15. What Cisco data center solution provides automated infrastructure provisioning through intent-based networking?
A) Cisco DNA Center
B) Cisco ACI
C) Cisco Prime
D) Cisco ISE
Answer: B) Cisco ACI
Explanation: Cisco ACI provides intent-based networking to automate provisioning and management of the data center fabric.
16. What is the main function of a Cisco UCS Virtual Interface Card (VIC)?
A) Provides physical network interfaces only
B) Creates virtual network interfaces that can be dynamically assigned to virtual machines
C) Manages Fibre Channel zoning
D) Acts as a firewall
Answer: B) Creates virtual network interfaces that can be dynamically assigned to virtual machines
Explanation: VICs support multiple virtual interfaces, allowing dynamic allocation of network resources to virtual machines or bare-metal servers.
17. In Cisco data center design, which factor is critical when choosing between Layer 2 and Layer 3 designs?
A) Number of VLANs
B) Traffic patterns and scalability requirements
C) Number of physical switches
D) Operating system versions
Answer: B) Traffic patterns and scalability requirements
Explanation: Layer 3 designs offer better scalability and segmentation for large data centers, while Layer 2 is simpler but less scalable.
18. Which Cisco Nexus feature provides network virtualization by creating multiple virtual switches within a single physical switch?
A) VRF (Virtual Routing and Forwarding)
B) VDC (Virtual Device Context)
C) VLAN Trunking
D) EtherChannel
Answer: B) VDC (Virtual Device Context)
Explanation: VDC allows partitioning a single physical Nexus switch into multiple virtual switches, each with independent control planes.
19. What is the role of the Overlay Transport Virtualization (OTV) protocol in Cisco data centers?
A) Secure remote access
B) Extend Layer 2 networks across geographically dispersed sites
C) Routing protocol for spine-leaf fabric
D) VLAN tagging
Answer: B) Extend Layer 2 networks across geographically dispersed sites
Explanation: OTV encapsulates Layer 2 traffic to extend VLANs over Layer 3 networks, enabling data center interconnectivity.
20. Which Cisco UCS management feature allows administrators to manage firmware across multiple servers simultaneously?
A) UCS Director
B) UCS Manager Firmware Management
C) Cisco Prime
D) Cisco ISE
Answer: B) UCS Manager Firmware Management
Explanation: UCS Manager provides centralized firmware management to simplify and synchronize updates across UCS servers.
21. Which protocol does Cisco ACI use for policy enforcement and automation?
A) NETCONF
B) REST API
C) OpFlex
D) SNMP
Answer: C) OpFlex
Explanation: OpFlex is a southbound protocol used by Cisco ACI for policy enforcement between the APIC controller and fabric devices.
22. What is the maximum number of VNIs supported in a VXLAN-enabled Cisco Nexus switch?
A) 4,096
B) 16 million
C) 1,024
D) 65,536
Answer: B) 16 million
Explanation: VXLAN supports up to 16 million (2^24) VNIs, providing massive network segmentation compared to traditional VLAN limits.
23. Which Cisco data center component is responsible for the underlay network in a Cisco ACI fabric?
A) Spine and leaf switches
B) APIC controllers
C) End hosts
D) Overlay virtual switches
Answer: A) Spine and leaf switches
Explanation: The underlay is the physical network formed by spine and leaf switches, supporting the overlay fabric.
24. What is the recommended design practice for Cisco UCS blade servers regarding fabric interconnect connectivity?
A) Connect each blade directly to a single fabric interconnect
B) Connect blades to two redundant fabric interconnects for HA
C) Use a single management fabric only
D) Connect blades directly to leaf switches
Answer: B) Connect blades to two redundant fabric interconnects for HA
Explanation: Redundant connections to fabric interconnects ensure high availability and resilience.
25. Which Cisco Nexus switch feature prevents loops in a Layer 2 network?
A) LACP
B) STP (Spanning Tree Protocol)
C) FabricPath
D) BGP
Answer: B) STP (Spanning Tree Protocol)
Explanation: STP detects and prevents loops by blocking redundant links in Layer 2 networks.
26. In Cisco ACI, what is an Endpoint Group (EPG)?
A) A group of physical servers
B) A collection of endpoints sharing the same policy and communication rules
C) A type of VLAN
D) A routing protocol
Answer: B) A collection of endpoints sharing the same policy and communication rules
Explanation: EPGs group endpoints logically to apply consistent policies in ACI fabric.
27. Which Cisco technology provides a centralized dashboard for monitoring and managing multi-site ACI fabrics?
A) Cisco UCS Manager
B) Cisco Nexus Dashboard
C) Cisco Prime Infrastructure
D) Cisco DNA Center
Answer: B) Cisco Nexus Dashboard
Explanation: Cisco Nexus Dashboard provides unified visibility and management across multiple ACI fabrics and data center sites.
28. Which is a benefit of fabric extenders (FEX) in Cisco UCS deployments?
A) They provide direct IP routing
B) They simplify cabling by extending the fabric interconnect ports closer to servers
C) They replace fabric interconnects
D) They act as firewalls
Answer: B) They simplify cabling by extending the fabric interconnect ports closer to servers
Explanation: FEX acts as a remote line card, extending the fabric interconnect and reducing cable complexity.
29. Which Cisco protocol allows virtual machine mobility by extending VLANs across different data centers?
A) OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization)
B) VRF-Lite
C) MPLS
D) LISP
Answer: A) OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization)
Explanation: OTV encapsulates VLAN traffic for Layer 2 extension across Layer 3 networks to support VM mobility.
30. What is the main purpose of Cisco UCS Director in data center infrastructure?
A) Network traffic routing
B) Infrastructure automation and orchestration
C) Firewall configuration
D) Firmware updates
Answer: B) Infrastructure automation and orchestration
Explanation: UCS Director automates provisioning and orchestration of compute, network, storage, and virtualization resources in the data center.
31. Which Cisco Nexus feature allows dynamic load balancing of Ethernet traffic across multiple physical links?
A) Spanning Tree Protocol
B) EtherChannel with LACP
C) VRF
D) VLAN Trunking Protocol
Answer: B) EtherChannel with LACP
Explanation: EtherChannel bundles multiple physical links into a single logical link to provide higher bandwidth and redundancy; LACP dynamically manages this bundling.
32. In Cisco UCS, what defines a logical identity for a server that can be applied to any physical server hardware?
A) VLAN Pool
B) Service Profile
C) Fabric Interconnect
D) Virtual Interface Card (VIC)
Answer: B) Service Profile
Explanation: A Service Profile abstracts hardware and network configuration, allowing rapid deployment of server identities across different hardware.
33. What is the main advantage of using Cisco ACI Multi-Pod architecture?
A) Simplifies single-switch configuration
B) Provides fault tolerance across geographically separated data centers
C) Replaces spine switches with leaf switches
D) Eliminates the need for APIC controllers
Answer: B) Provides fault tolerance across geographically separated data centers
Explanation: Multi-Pod architecture connects multiple data center pods, enabling scalability and redundancy with centralized policy management.
34. What is the primary role of the Cisco APIC in the ACI architecture?
A) Physical switching hardware
B) Policy-based centralized management and automation controller
C) Data forwarding device
D) Server virtualization host
Answer: B) Policy-based centralized management and automation controller
Explanation: The Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) manages and automates fabric policies and health monitoring.
35. Which Cisco data center technology enables network virtualization by encapsulating Layer 2 frames in UDP packets?
A) MPLS
B) GRE
C) VXLAN
D) LISP
Answer: C) VXLAN
Explanation: VXLAN encapsulates Layer 2 Ethernet frames inside UDP for scalable network virtualization over Layer 3 infrastructures.
36. Which Cisco UCS component acts as a unified point for both network and storage traffic convergence?
A) Fabric Interconnect
B) Virtual Interface Card (VIC)
C) Blade Server
D) Service Profile
Answer: A) Fabric Interconnect
Explanation: Fabric Interconnects consolidate LAN and SAN traffic, serving as a management and data plane device for UCS.
37. In Cisco ACI, what is the term for the contract that defines communication rules between Endpoint Groups?
A) VLAN
B) Service Profile
C) Policy Contract
D) Access Control List (ACL)
Answer: C) Policy Contract
Explanation: Contracts specify the communication policies, allowing or denying traffic between EPGs in ACI.
38. What is the recommended method to provide scalability and segmentation in a Cisco data center using VXLAN?
A) Use multiple VLANs
B) Use VTEP (VXLAN Tunnel Endpoints)
C) Configure STP blocking ports
D) Disable routing protocols
Answer: B) Use VTEP (VXLAN Tunnel Endpoints)
Explanation: VTEPs encapsulate and decapsulate VXLAN packets, allowing scalable Layer 2 segments over Layer 3.
39. Which component is essential for automating firmware upgrades in Cisco UCS environments?
A) UCS Manager
B) Cisco Prime Infrastructure
C) Cisco DNA Center
D) Fabric Extender
Answer: A) UCS Manager
Explanation: UCS Manager enables centralized management, including automated firmware upgrades and configuration consistency.
40. What Cisco protocol is commonly used to extend VLANs across different data center sites over Layer 3?
A) VTP
B) OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization)
C) HSRP
D) LACP
Answer: B) OTV (Overlay Transport Virtualization)
Explanation: OTV encapsulates VLAN traffic to extend Layer 2 domains across geographically dispersed Layer 3 networks.
41. How does Cisco ACI support multi-tenancy in data center fabrics?
A) By using VLANs only
B) Through VRFs and Endpoint Groups (EPGs) with policies
C) By manual ACL configuration
D) Using static routing
Answer: B) Through VRFs and Endpoint Groups (EPGs) with policies
Explanation: ACI uses VRFs for network segmentation and EPGs with contracts to enforce multi-tenant policies.
42. Which of the following best describes FabricPath?
A) Layer 3 routing protocol
B) Layer 2 multipath technology used on Cisco Nexus switches
C) VLAN assignment protocol
D) Cisco UCS blade management tool
Answer: B) Layer 2 multipath technology used on Cisco Nexus switches
Explanation: FabricPath allows multiple active paths at Layer 2, enabling scalable and loop-free topology without blocking ports.
43. What is the role of the leaf switch in a spine-leaf architecture?
A) Interconnect spine switches
B) Connect servers and endpoints to the fabric
C) Manage the APIC controllers
D) Route traffic to the internet
Answer: B) Connect servers and endpoints to the fabric
Explanation: Leaf switches connect directly to endpoints (servers, storage) and connect upstream to spine switches.
44. Which Cisco UCS feature simplifies disaster recovery by allowing quick migration of server identities?
A) Service Profile Templates
B) UCS Fabric Extenders
C) Fabric Interconnects
D) Cisco ACI Contracts
Answer: A) Service Profile Templates
Explanation: Templates let administrators quickly create and apply consistent server configurations, aiding disaster recovery.
45. What is a key benefit of Cisco UCS Manager’s role-based access control (RBAC)?
A) Centralizes firmware updates
B) Limits user permissions based on roles to enhance security
C) Automates network routing
D) Enables Layer 2 trunking
Answer: B) Limits user permissions based on roles to enhance security
Explanation: RBAC ensures users have access only to necessary functions, enhancing security and operational control.
46. Which Cisco technology supports both Layer 2 and Layer 3 virtualization in data centers?
A) VXLAN with EVPN
B) OSPF
C) RIP
D) BGP only
Answer: A) VXLAN with EVPN
Explanation: VXLAN encapsulates Layer 2 frames; EVPN provides control-plane signaling, supporting Layer 2 and Layer 3 virtualization.
47. Which Cisco UCS tool allows administrators to automate repetitive tasks with workflows?
A) UCS Manager CLI
B) UCS Director
C) Cisco Prime
D) Cisco DNA Center
Answer: B) UCS Director
Explanation: UCS Director automates data center workflows, integrating compute, network, and storage provisioning.
48. What is a major difference between Cisco UCS blade servers and rack servers?
A) Blade servers are standalone, rack servers require chassis
B) Blade servers share chassis resources, rack servers are standalone
C) Blade servers do not support virtualization
D) Rack servers are managed by UCS Manager, blades are not
Answer: B) Blade servers share chassis resources, rack servers are standalone
Explanation: Blade servers fit into a chassis sharing power and cooling, rack servers are standalone units.
49. Which Cisco Nexus feature supports policy-based QoS for multi-tenant environments?
A) VRF
B) Cisco ACI contracts
C) VLAN
D) Access Control Lists (ACLs)
Answer: B) Cisco ACI contracts
Explanation: ACI contracts can include QoS policies that enforce bandwidth and priority rules per tenant or application.
50. Which Cisco protocol is used for device discovery and helps map the topology in data centers?
A) CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol)
B) OSPF
C) BGP
D) STP
Answer: A) CDP (Cisco Discovery Protocol)
Explanation: CDP provides device discovery, allowing devices to share information about themselves for topology mapping.
51. What role do Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) instances play in data center designs?
A) They combine multiple physical routers into one
B) They segment network traffic virtually within a router to isolate tenants
C) They provide wireless access points
D) They replace VLANs
Answer: B) They segment network traffic virtually within a router to isolate tenants
Explanation: VRFs create isolated routing tables, allowing overlapping IP addresses in multi-tenant environments.
52. Which Cisco Nexus switch feature allows a single physical interface to carry traffic for multiple VLANs?
A) VPC (Virtual Port Channel)
B) Trunk Port using 802.1Q
C) EtherChannel
D) FabricPath
Answer: B) Trunk Port using 802.1Q
Explanation: 802.1Q tagging allows multiple VLANs to traverse a single physical link by tagging frames with VLAN IDs.
53. What is the function of the Cisco Nexus Data Broker in a data center?
A) Virtual switch management
B) Traffic monitoring and packet capture
C) Server management
D) IP address assignment
Answer: B) Traffic monitoring and packet capture
Explanation: Nexus Data Broker provides network visibility by monitoring and capturing traffic for analysis.
54. Which Cisco UCS design principle helps reduce cable complexity in a data center?
A) Using Fabric Extenders (FEX)
B) Deploying multiple APIC controllers
C) Using traditional switches only
D) Configuring static IP addresses
Answer: A) Using Fabric Extenders (FEX)
Explanation: FEX extends the fabric interconnect ports closer to servers, reducing cabling complexity and management overhead.
55. What is the significance of the Cisco ACI Endpoint Learning mechanism?
A) Allows APIC to auto-discover physical hosts only
B) Learns endpoint MAC addresses dynamically for optimal forwarding
C) Enables manual static routing configuration
D) Limits traffic to Layer 3 only
Answer: B) Learns endpoint MAC addresses dynamically for optimal forwarding
Explanation: ACI fabric learns endpoints’ MACs and IPs dynamically to optimize forwarding and enforce policies.
56. In Cisco UCS, what is the purpose of a VLAN Pool?
A) Assign VLANs to physical interfaces only
B) Manage sets of VLANs for allocation to server interfaces dynamically
C) Route traffic between VLANs
D) Replace VLAN trunks
Answer: B) Manage sets of VLANs for allocation to server interfaces dynamically
Explanation: VLAN Pools allow UCS Manager to allocate VLANs across server interfaces for flexibility.
57. Which feature in Cisco Nexus switches improves network uptime by avoiding spanning tree blocking?
A) VRRP
B) VPC (Virtual Port Channel)
C) OSPF
D) VTP
Answer: B) VPC (Virtual Port Channel)
Explanation: VPC allows two switches to appear as one logical device, enabling multiple active paths without spanning tree blocking.
58. How does Cisco ACI help with application-aware networking?
A) By providing static IP addresses
B) Using policy-based contracts that map application requirements to network behavior
C) Only supporting Layer 2 switching
D) Enforcing physical cabling constraints
Answer: B) Using policy-based contracts that map application requirements to network behavior
Explanation: ACI abstracts network policies that align with application needs for automation and optimization.
59. What is the function of Cisco Fabric Extenders in a UCS architecture?
A) Replace Fabric Interconnects
B) Extend network ports from the Fabric Interconnect closer to the servers
C) Act as standalone switches
D) Provide wireless connectivity
Answer: B) Extend network ports from the Fabric Interconnect closer to the servers
Explanation: Fabric Extenders reduce cabling and simplify network architecture by extending Fabric Interconnect ports.
60. Which Cisco protocol is primarily used to synchronize routing information across a multi-pod ACI deployment?
A) OSPF
B) BGP
C) IS-IS
D) EIGRP
Answer: B) BGP
Explanation: BGP is used between pods in ACI Multi-Pod deployments for route exchange and maintaining fabric reachability.
