VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization (VCP-DCV) Practice Exam

What is a likely cause of an all paths down (APD) event occurring for software FCoE storage?

1. Spanning Tree Protocol is enabled on the network ports.

2. Spanning Tree Protocol is disabled on the storage processors.

3. Spanning Tree Protocol is enabled on the storage processors.

4. Spanning Tree Protocol is disabled on the network ports.

The correct answer is: Spanning Tree Protocol is enabled on the network ports.

An all paths down (APD) event for software Fiber Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) storage typically indicates that connectivity to the storage is completely lost. Having Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) enabled on the network ports can lead to this situation, especially if a topology change occurs. When STP is activated, it manages loop prevention by blocking certain ports, which can inadvertently drop connections if the network is not configured correctly or if there are frequent topology changes. In scenarios where STP is enabled on the network ports, it can cause temporary disruptions in traffic flow, potentially causing a loss of access to the FCoE storage if the paths are not properly configured or aligned with the expectations of the storage network. Correctly configuring STP is crucial to avoid unnecessary disruptions and to ensure that the paths to the storage remain active and accessible. Other factors, such as STP being enabled or disabled on storage processors or network ports, do not directly contribute to APD events in the same way. For example, having STP disabled on storage processors could allow other paths to remain active even if certain network paths are lost. Thus, the condition of having STP enabled on network ports is a likely cause of APD events due to its potential to