Which Two Features on a Switch or Router Are Integrated into CoPP? Choose Two.

In modern network environments, performance, reliability, and security are crucial factors that shape how traffic is managed on switches and routers. One such mechanism developed to safeguard the control plane of network devices is Control Plane Policing (CoPP). If you're preparing for a Cisco certification exam and come across the tricky question — "Which two features on a switch or router are integrated into CoPP? Choose two." — it's essential that you understand what CoPP is, how it functions, and what exactly is integrated into it.

This blog post will explore CoPP in detail, explain its importance, break down its features, and provide insight into what aspects of a switch or router are managed by it. Additionally, we’ll provide multiple-choice questions at the end to help reinforce your understanding — a perfect supplement for your Exam Prep Dumps and Study Guide material.

Let’s dive in.

What is CoPP (Control Plane Policing)?

Control Plane Policing (CoPP) is a security feature in Cisco devices used to protect the control plane from unnecessary or malicious traffic. The control plane is responsible for routing protocols, system management, and other critical functions. If left unprotected, it could be overwhelmed by traffic, which might be intentional (a DDoS attack) or unintentional (network misconfiguration).

To mitigate this risk, CoPP allows administrators to define policies that limit the rate of traffic destined to the control plane. It essentially acts as a traffic cop that ensures only legitimate control traffic is allowed at appropriate levels.

Why is CoPP Important in Network Infrastructure?

Imagine your network's control plane as the brain of your router or switch. If it gets flooded, nothing else can function properly — no routing updates, no OSPF adjacencies, no BGP sessions, and no SNMP management. CoPP helps maintain the availability and responsiveness of these vital control functions.

The key benefits of CoPP include:

Protection from DoS Attacks: CoPP can filter and limit traffic to prevent overwhelming the control plane.
Resource Optimization: Ensures essential traffic gets prioritized access to the control plane.
Traffic Filtering: Allows filtering of malformed or harmful packets before they reach sensitive internal processes.
Logging and Monitoring: Provides data on the nature and source of the traffic reaching the control plane.

Which Two Features on a Switch or Router Are Integrated into CoPP? Choose Two.

If you're reviewing your Exam Prep Dumps and Study Guide material, you’ll frequently encounter this core question:

Which two features on a switch or router are integrated into CoPP? Choose two.

The correct answer is typically:

Access Control Lists (ACLs)
Class Maps

Let’s explore both in more detail.

1. Access Control Lists (ACLs)

ACLs are fundamental in network security and traffic control. In the context of CoPP, ACLs are used to define and match specific traffic patterns. You can specify which types of traffic (like BGP, SNMP, SSH) should be allowed or denied access to the control plane.

Example Use Case in CoPP:

plaintext

ip access-list extended COPP-SNMP

permit udp any any eq snmp

This ACL permits SNMP traffic that might be managed by a class-map in a CoPP policy.

2. Class Maps

Class maps are used in Modular QoS CLI (MQC) to identify traffic types. In CoPP, class maps work hand-in-hand with ACLs to group traffic and apply policy actions.

Example Use Case in CoPP:

plaintext

class-map match-all CLASS-SNMP

match access-group name COPP-SNMP

Here, the class-map is matching the SNMP traffic as defined by the access list COPP-SNMP.

These two features form the foundation of CoPP configurations in routers and switches. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to identify or filter traffic with the granularity required to properly protect the control plane.

How CoPP Works in a Device

Once traffic classification is done using ACLs and class maps, you use policy maps to define how that traffic is handled. This policy is then applied to the control plane using the control-plane keyword.

Example CoPP Configuration:

plaintext

policy-map CONTROL-PLANE-POLICY

class CLASS-SNMP

police 32000 conform-action transmit exceed-action drop

control-plane

service-policy input CONTROL-PLANE-POLICY

This example limits SNMP traffic to 32 Kbps to protect the control plane from being overwhelmed.

Commonly Integrated CoPP Features (for Exam Clarity)

When Cisco exam questions ask “Which two features on a switch or router are integrated into CoPP? Choose two,” they are specifically testing your understanding of:

ACLs — used for identifying traffic types.
Class Maps — used to group and apply policies to traffic.

Other features like policy maps and service policies are essential too but are applied after classification and are not considered "integrated into CoPP" in the same sense ACLs and class maps are.

Real-World Use of CoPP

Let’s say you're running a large enterprise with multiple routers. Without CoPP, a spike in SNMP polling, SSH login attempts, or malformed packets could bog down the router's control plane. With CoPP, you can:

Define which hosts are allowed to send management traffic.
Rate-limit that traffic.
Drop unknown or potentially malicious packets.

Best Practices for CoPP

Always include a default drop class to ensure unknown traffic doesn’t bypass your rules.
Use fine-grained ACLs to ensure only necessary traffic is allowed.
Test configurations in a lab environment before deploying to production.
Regularly audit and update policies based on changing traffic patterns.

Limitations and Considerations

While CoPP is incredibly useful, it isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution. It doesn’t protect data plane traffic, and improper configuration can lead to blocking legitimate control traffic. That’s why using Study Guide material and Exam Prep Dumps wisely is crucial to understand real-world CoPP implementation without causing service disruption.

Conclusion

Understanding how CoPP works and knowing which components are integrated into it is vital for both real-world network management and Cisco exam success. The question "which two features on a switch or router are integrated into CoPP? choose two." is more than just an exam query — it's about building resilient and secure networks.

If you’re working through your Exam Prep Dumps and Study Guide material from DumpsQueen, ensure that you not only memorize the correct answers but also understand the underlying concepts. ACLs and class maps are the core components integrated into CoPP, and mastering them can help you become a better network engineer.

Sample MCQs (Multiple-Choice Questions)

Here are a few sample questions to test your understanding:

Q1: Which two features on a switch or router are integrated into CoPP? Choose two.
A. VLAN Trunking
B. Access Control Lists (ACLs)
C. Port Security
D. Class Maps
Answer: B and D

Q2: What is the purpose of Access Control Lists (ACLs) in a CoPP configuration?
A. To encrypt routing updates
B. To define the control plane bandwidth
C. To identify traffic types for filtering
D. To manage user credentials
Answer: C

Q3: In CoPP, what is the function of a class map?
A. It defines how to police traffic
B. It applies encryption to data plane traffic
C. It matches traffic based on defined criteria
D. It controls physical interface settings
Answer: C

Q4: Which policy component is responsible for rate-limiting traffic to the control plane?
A. Class Map
B. ACL
C. SNMP
D. Policy Map
Answer: D