Question

Difficulty: HardRouting Table Components

An enterprise Cisco router displays the following IPv4 routing table output:

text
Gateway of last resort is not set

10.0.0.0/8 is variably subnetted, 4 subnets, 4 masks
O 10.45.0.0/16 [110/65] via 192.168.1.1, 01:15:02, GigabitEthernet0/0
D 10.45.12.0/22 [90/2172416] via 192.168.2.1, 00:42:10, GigabitEthernet0/1
S 10.45.12.0/24 [1/0] via 192.168.3.1
C 10.45.12.128/25 is directly connected, GigabitEthernet0/2

Which two statements correctly describe how the router processes traffic destined to 10.45.12.15010.45.12.150 and interpret its routing table components? (Select two.)

  1. The router forwards the packet out interface GigabitEthernet0/2 because 10.45.12.128/25 provides the longest prefix match for destination 10.45.12.150.Answer
  2. B
    The router forwards the packet to next-hop 192.168.3.1 because the static route has a lower administrative distance (1) than dynamic routing protocols.
  3. The bracketed numbers [110/65] in the OSPF route entry represent an Administrative Distance of 110 and a route Metric of 65.Answer
  4. D
    The router forwards the packet to next-hop 192.168.2.1 because EIGRP has a lower administrative distance (90) than OSPF (110).

Answer

The router egresses traffic out GigabitEthernet0/2 based on the longest prefix match rule (10.45.12.128/25), and the notation [110/65] defines an Administrative Distance of 110 and a Metric of 65.
Traffic destined to 10.45.12.150 matches multiple entries in the routing table, but 10.45.12.128/25 has the longest prefix length (25 bits), making GigabitEthernet0/2 the elected forwarding interface. Additionally, standard Cisco routing table syntax formats protocol entries as [Administrative Distance / Metric], meaning [110/65] indicates an AD of 110 and an OSPF metric of 65.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze candidate destination matching prefixes for destination IP 10.45.12.150.
The destination address 10.45.12.150 matches 10.45.0.0/16, 10.45.12.0/22, 10.45.12.0/24, and 10.45.12.128/25 (range 10.45.12.128 to 10.45.12.255).
All four subnet ranges encompass IP address 10.45.12.150.
2
Apply the Longest Prefix Match (LPM) forwarding rule.
Prefix length /25 is longer (more specific) than /24, /22, and /16. Thus, route C (10.45.12.128/25) is chosen, forwarding traffic directly out GigabitEthernet0/2.
Routers always prioritize prefix length over Administrative Distance and metric when determining the forwarding path.
3
Decode the standard Cisco routing table notation components.
For entry 'O 10.45.0.0/16 [110/65]', the first value inside brackets represents Administrative Distance (110) and the second value represents Metric/Cost (65).
This is the mandatory syntax used by Cisco IOS/IOS-XE to display route trustworthiness and path cost.

Key Concept

Routing Table Components and Longest Prefix Match Decision Logic
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