In VRRP, when the virtual router responds to an ARP request, the main router direct interface MAC address is used.

Question

Options

• ATRUE
• BFALSE

• A
  21% (7)
• B
  79% (26)

Explanation

B is correct because VRRP responds to ARP requests using a virtual MAC address, not the physical MAC of the master router's interface. This virtual MAC follows the format 00-00-5E-00-01-{VRID}, where VRID is the Virtual Router ID configured for the group.

Why A is wrong: Using the master router's real interface MAC would break redundancy. If the master failed and a backup took over, all connected hosts would have stale ARP cache entries pointing to the old master's MAC, causing traffic loss until those entries expired.

The core design principle: By using a consistent virtual MAC tied to the VRID (not any physical router), VRRP ensures that when a backup promotes itself to master, it immediately owns both the virtual IP and the virtual MAC - so hosts experience zero disruption and need no ARP cache updates.

Memory tip: Think of VRRP as a "virtual identity" system - the virtual router has its own virtual IP and its own virtual MAC (00-00-5E-00-01-XX). Nothing about the physical master leaks out to the network, which is precisely what makes seamless failover possible.

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