300-420 Question 43
Single answerA company has two WAN links connecting their branch office to the headquarters. The network engineer wants to configure load sharing for outbound traffic to maximize the utilization of both links. Which configuration approach is most suitable for achieving this goal in a scalable and efficient manner?
- A
Configure Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing in the routing protocol used on the network.
- B
Manually assign specific applications to use each WAN link based on static routes.
- C
Deploy Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) with traffic engineering for dynamic load balancing.
- D
Use Policy-Based Routing (PBR) to direct traffic to specific WAN links.
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Equal-Cost Multi-Path (ECMP) routing provides a dynamic and scalable solution for load sharing across multiple WAN links. By allowing the routing protocol to distribute traffic across paths with equal cost, ECMP ensures optimal link utilization without requiring manual intervention or complex configurations. This makes it the most suitable option for achieving load sharing in this scenario.
- A. Correct.
ECMP is a scalable and efficient approach to distribute traffic across multiple equal-cost paths in the routing table. It leverages the routing protocol's capability to perform path selection dynamically, ensuring optimal utilization of the available links.
- B. Incorrect.
Manually assigning applications to WAN links using static routes is not scalable and requires constant administrative effort to maintain as traffic patterns or application requirements change.
- C. Incorrect.
MPLS with traffic engineering is a complex solution that is typically used in larger, service-provider environments. It may be overkill for a simple branch-to-headquarters scenario.
- D. Incorrect.
Policy-Based Routing (PBR) can be used for directing specific traffic but is less efficient and scalable compared to using a routing protocol with ECMP for general load sharing.