143-080 · Question #57
Refer to the Exhibit. Using all 16 Gbps switches, how many Domains IDs will be shown in the fabricshow output on Switch 2?
The correct answer is C. 4. See the full explanation below for the reasoning.
Question
Refer to the Exhibit. Using all 16 Gbps switches, how many Domains IDs will be shown in the fabricshow output on Switch 2?
Exhibit
Options
- A2
- B3
- C4
- D5
How the community answered
(38 responses)- A13% (5)
- B3% (1)
- C79% (30)
- D5% (2)
Community Discussion
6
Orla P.Jun 27, 2026The answer is C, four Domain IDs. In a Fibre Channel fabric, the fabricshow command on any switch returns every domain in the entire fabric, including that switch's own domain, so the count you get equals the total number of switches participating in the fabric. With the topology shown in that exhibit using all 16 Gbps switches, there are four switches in the fabric, and Switch 2 sees all of them. A common mistake is to count only the switches directly connected to Switch 2, or to forget that Switch 2 counts its own domain, which leads test-takers toward A or B. The fabricshow output is fabric-wide, not neighbor-limited, so no matter which switch you run it from, you get the same domain count, and here that count is four.
Haruki E.Jun 27, 2026Sat the 143-080 last spring and almost talked myself into B because I kept thinking about OSPF neighbor counts the way I do on IP gear, but fabricshow is not a neighbor table, it is a fabric-wide domain database, so every switch in the fabric shows up, including Switch 2 itself. Once I remembered that the exhibit had four switches all sharing the same fabric, I counted four Domain IDs, circled C, and moved on without looking back.
Carlos M.Jun 28, 2026Solid logic, and the only thing I would add is that if any of those four switches had segmented out, fabricshow on the remaining switches would drop that domain from the list entirely, which is actually a useful second-order fact if they twist the question and ask you to spot a fabric problem instead of just count members.
Carlos M.Jun 27, 2026The answer is C, 4 Domain IDs. fabricshow on any switch in the fabric lists every switch in the entire fabric, including the local switch itself, so you are not just counting neighbors or hops away from Switch 2. The trap with B (3) is assuming you exclude Switch 2 from its own fabricshow output, which is wrong, that command always includes the local domain. The 16 Gbps qualifier in the question is basically noise for this specific ask since Domain ID count is a fabric topology question, not a speed question, but it signals you are dealing with standard FC switches where each physical switch gets exactly one Domain ID. Count the switches in the exhibit, you get 4, done.
Samuel O.Jun 24, 2026Going with A, two Domain IDs, because fabricshow on Switch 2 only reports what that switch actually sees in its own fabric segment, and if the exhibit shows Switch 2 isolated or connected to just one other switch without a full mesh, you are looking at two domains total, itself and its single neighbor. I spent years watching guys overthink these topology questions and add every switch on the diagram, but fabricshow is scoped to the fabric membership from that switch's perspective, not a global inventory.
Carlos M.Jun 25, 2026Samuel, good thought but fabricshow actually reports all domain members across the entire fabric, not just what is locally visible from that switch's port connections, so Switch 2 would still enumerate every switch participating in the fabric and give you the full count that matches option C.