What technology is used to provide active-active uplinks from the access layer to distribution layer switches?

The correct choice is vPC (Virtual Port Channel). This technology enables the configuration of multiple uplink connections from an access layer switch to distribution layer switches, allowing both uplinks to be active simultaneously. The use of vPC provides link redundancy and increases bandwidth by aggregating the links into a single logical connection. This configuration also allows for effective load balancing and optimizes the use of available paths.

When implementing vPC, you connect a single logical Port Channel to multiple switches, which helps in environments where high availability and redundancy are critical. Additionally, vPC helps eliminate the issues associated with Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), such as blocking on links, by allowing both connections to be active, thus enhancing overall network performance.

The other options address different functionalities: FHRP (First Hop Redundancy Protocol) is used for providing redundancy for default gateways, but it does not create active-active uplinks. RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol) is designed to enhance traditional STP, enabling faster convergence, but it still relies on a single active path and does not support active-active uplinks. HSRP (Hot Standby Router Protocol) is another redundancy protocol that allows for gateway failover but also does not provide active-active connections