Implementing and Operating Cisco Enterprise Network Core Technologies (ENCOR) — Question 583

How does Cisco Express Forwarding switching differ from process switching on Cisco devices?

Answer options

• A. Cisco Express Forwarding switching saves memory by storing adjacency tables in dedicated memory on the line cards, and process switching stores all tables in the main memory.
• B. Cisco Express Forwarding switching uses adjacency tables built by the CDP protocol, and process switching uses the routing table.
• C. Cisco Express Forwarding switching uses dedicated hardware processors, and process switching uses the main processor.
• D. Cisco Express Forwarding switching uses a proprietary protocol based on IS-IS for MAC address lookup, and process switching uses the MAC address table.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C because Cisco Express Forwarding switching is optimized for performance by using dedicated hardware processors, which enhances its efficiency over process switching that relies on the main processor, leading to slower operations. The other options incorrectly describe the memory management, protocols used, and methods of MAC address handling in the two switching methods.