CCIE Data Center (legacy) — Question 55

Which statement about NPIV is true?

Answer options

• A. NPIV provides a means to assign multiple Fibre Channel IDs to a single N-port.
• B. NPIV can be enabled on a per-VSAN basis.
• C. NPIV requires a "write erase" and then reload the switch in order to come up into NPIV mode.
• D. NPIV is a Cisco proprietary feature and as such works only between two Cisco switches.
• E. NPIV must not be enabled on a switch that is also running N-port virtualization.

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The correct answer is A because NPIV (N_Port ID Virtualization) allows multiple Fibre Channel identifiers to be associated with a single N-port, enabling better resource utilization. Option B is incorrect because NPIV is not restricted to per-VSAN configuration; option C is false as NPIV does not require a 'write erase' to activate; option D is incorrect since NPIV is not exclusive to Cisco switches, and option E is wrong because NPIV can coexist with N-port virtualization in many scenarios.