A network engineer observes that traffic from a branch office router toward destination network is taking a low-speed backup WAN link instead of the primary OSPF path. Reviewing the running configuration reveals the following static route entry configured for the backup link:
`ip route 172.22.0.0 255.255.0.0 10.0.99.2 105`
Which statement correctly explains why the backup static route is overriding the primary OSPF path?
- The configured administrative distance of 105 is lower than the default administrative distance of OSPF (110), causing the router to prefer the static route.Answer
- BThe configured administrative distance of 105 is higher than the default administrative distance of OSPF (90), causing both paths to perform equal-cost load balancing.
- CThe router selects the backup static route because static routes always take precedence over dynamic protocols regardless of administrative distance.
- DThe backup static route is preferred because static routes with explicit next-hop IP addresses bypass administrative distance evaluation during prefix matching.
Answer
The configured administrative distance of 105 is lower than the default administrative distance of OSPF (110), causing the router to prefer the static route.
Administrative distance measures route source believability on Cisco routers, where lower values are preferred. OSPF routes have a default administrative distance of 110. Because the static route was configured with an administrative distance of 105, which is lower than 110, the router installs the static route into the routing table instead of the OSPF route.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Floating Static Route Administrative Distance
Estimated Time:1m 0s