Which mode on a Citrix ADC can be used to avoid asymmetrical packet flows and multiple route/ARP lookups?

Which mode on a Citrix ADC can be used to avoid asymmetrical packet flows and multiple route/ARP lookups?

• A. MAC-based forwarding (MBF)
• B. Use Subnet IP (USNIP)
• C. Layer 3
• D. Layer 2

Answer: (A)

MAC-based forwarding uses the destination MAC address to forward frames directly between interfaces, so the appliance doesn’t rely on IP routing or ARP for each packet. This keeps the traffic on a single, consistent path, which prevents asymmetrical flows and avoids multiple route and ARP lookups. It’s especially effective for intra-subnet traffic where you want efficient forwarding without repeated L3 decisions, reducing ARP traffic and routing overhead. Other modes would involve IP routing or standard Layer 2 switching with potential path variations and extra ARP lookups, so they don’t provide the same benefit of avoiding asymmetry and repeated routing/ARP processing.

MAC-based forwarding uses the destination MAC address to forward frames directly between interfaces, so the appliance doesn’t rely on IP routing or ARP for each packet. This keeps the traffic on a single, consistent path, which prevents asymmetrical flows and avoids multiple route and ARP lookups. It’s especially effective for intra-subnet traffic where you want efficient forwarding without repeated L3 decisions, reducing ARP traffic and routing overhead. Other modes would involve IP routing or standard Layer 2 switching with potential path variations and extra ARP lookups, so they don’t provide the same benefit of avoiding asymmetry and repeated routing/ARP processing.