Question

Difficulty: MediumRouting Table Components

Match each Cisco IPv4 routing table component to its correct functional description based on standard Cisco IOS routing operations.

  • Destination Prefix and Subnet MaskSpecifies the target network address range evaluated using longest prefix match logic.
  • Administrative DistanceDefines the believability or trustworthiness rating of a route source when multiple protocols learn the same destination.
  • Routing MetricRepresents the path cost or tie-breaker value calculated by a specific routing protocol to select the best path.
  • Next-Hop IP AddressIndicates the IP address of the adjacent router interface to which traffic for the network should be forwarded.

Answer

Destination Prefix and Subnet Mask matches 'Specifies the target network address range evaluated using longest prefix match logic.' Administrative Distance matches 'Defines the believability or trustworthiness rating of a route source when multiple protocols learn the same destination.' Routing Metric matches 'Represents the path cost or tie-breaker value calculated by a specific routing protocol to select the best path.' Next-Hop IP Address matches 'Indicates the IP address of the adjacent router interface to which traffic for the network should be forwarded.'
Each routing table component serves a distinct role in Cisco packet forwarding. The destination prefix identifies the destination subnet; administrative distance evaluates source trustworthiness across protocols; the metric determines path cost within the same protocol; and the next-hop address identifies the adjacent forwarding device.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the role of Destination Prefix and Subnet Mask
Identifies the network boundary used during prefix matching.
The subnet mask specifies how many bits represent the network portion of an IP address.
2
Analyze Administrative Distance (AD)
Identifies the administrative ranking between different protocol sources (e.g., OSPF AD 110 vs. EIGRP AD 90).
AD measures route source trustworthiness before routes enter the routing table.
3
Analyze Routing Metric
Identifies protocol-specific path evaluation metrics (e.g., bandwidth, delay, cost).
Metrics compare alternative paths provided by the same routing protocol.
4
Analyze Next-Hop IP Address
Identifies the adjacent forwarding device address.
Routers rewrite Layer 2 headers using the MAC address corresponding to the next-hop IP.

Key Concept

Routing Table Components and Interpretation
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