Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

What is the mode used to configure a dynamic Link Aggregation Protocol EtherChannel?

1. active/passive

2. on/off

3. auto/manually

4. desirable/automatic

The correct answer is: active/passive

The mode used to configure a dynamic Link Aggregation Protocol (LACP) EtherChannel is referred to as active/passive. In this configuration, devices can either actively participate in the negotiation of the EtherChannel or remain passive and wait for the other device to initiate the negotiation. When a port is set to "active," it actively sends LACP packets to negotiate the bundling of links. Conversely, when a port is set to "passive," it will respond to incoming LACP packets but will not initiate the negotiation process itself. This method allows for redundancy and load balancing, while ensuring that only compatible links are aggregated together. The other configurations mentioned, such as on/off, auto/manually, and desirable/automatic, do not represent standards for configuring dynamic LACP EtherChannel. Instead, they relate to different methods or features that are not specific to LACP's dynamic negotiation process. On/off typically denotes a static configuration, while auto/manually does not align with LACP terms. Desirable/automatic relates to the Cisco proprietary Port Aggregation Protocol (PAgP) rather than LACP. Thus, the understanding of active/passive is essential for correctly applying LACP in network setups.