Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
R1# show ip route | include 0.0.0.0 O*E2 0.0.0.0/0 [110/1] via 10.1.12.2 R1(config)# ip route 0.0.0.0 0.0.0.0 192.0.2.1 150
Exhibit: A router has both an OSPF-learned default route and a floating static default route. Which route is currently active?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
The static route, because static routes always override dynamic routes
Only when the administrative distance is lower.
B
Best answer
The OSPF default route, because AD 110 beats the floating static AD 150
That is exactly why the OSPF default is active.
C
Distractor review
Both routes load-balance automatically
They are not equal-cost active defaults here.
D
Distractor review
Neither route, because a default route cannot be learned by OSPF
OSPF can absolutely carry a default route.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A frequent exam trap is believing that static routes always override dynamic routes simply because they are manually configured. This misconception leads to selecting the static route as active regardless of administrative distance. In reality, Cisco routers use administrative distance to determine route preference, and a floating static route is deliberately configured with a higher AD to act as a backup. The router prefers the OSPF route with AD 110 over the floating static route with AD 150, so the static route is inactive unless the OSPF route fails. Misunderstanding this can cause incorrect answers about route selection in routing tables.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Administrative distance (AD) is a key concept in Cisco routing that determines the trustworthiness of a route source. Each routing protocol and route type is assigned a default AD value, with lower values indicating more preferred routes. OSPF, a widely used Interior Gateway Protocol (IGP), has an AD of 110, which is more trusted than a floating static route typically configured with an AD of 150. This mechanism allows routers to prefer dynamic routing information over static routes unless the static route is explicitly made more preferred. When a router has both an OSPF-learned default route and a floating static default route, it compares their AD values to decide which route to install in the routing table. Since OSPF’s AD (110) is lower than the floating static route’s AD (150), the router installs the OSPF default route as the active route. The floating static route acts as a backup and only becomes active if the OSPF route disappears, such as when the OSPF neighbor goes down or the route is withdrawn. A common exam trap is assuming static routes always override dynamic routes because they are manually configured. However, this is only true if the static route has a lower AD than the dynamic route. Floating static routes intentionally have a higher AD to serve as backups, not primary routes. Understanding this distinction is crucial for correctly interpreting routing behavior and answering exam questions about route selection and administrative distance.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- OSPF advertises routes with an administrative distance (AD) of 110, which is lower than the default floating static route AD of 150, making OSPF routes preferred in routing decisions.
- A floating static route is configured with a higher AD than the primary route to act as a backup, only becoming active when the preferred route is unavailable.
- The routing table always installs the route with the lowest administrative distance to ensure the most reliable and trusted path is used for packet forwarding.
- OSPF can advertise a default route (0.0.0.0/0) into the network using the 'default-information originate' command, allowing routers to learn default routes dynamically.
- Static routes have a default AD of 1, but when configured as floating static routes, their AD is increased above dynamic protocols to prevent them from overriding learned routes.
- Routing protocols like OSPF use metrics and administrative distance to determine the best path, but administrative distance is the primary factor when multiple routes to the same destination exist.
- A route learned via OSPF will override a floating static route because OSPF’s AD of 110 is lower than the floating static route’s AD of 150, ensuring dynamic routing preference.
- The routing table does not load-balance between routes with different administrative distances; only equal-cost routes with the same AD are candidates for load balancing.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A router learns the same prefix from both OSPF and EIGRP. Which route is installed by default?
Question 2
A router shows this output: R1#show ip ospf neighbor Neighbor ID Pri State Dead Time Address Interface 10.1.1.2 1 FULL/DR 00:00:34 192.168.12.2 GigabitEthernet0/0 10.1.1.3 1 2WAY/DROTHER 00:00:39 192.168.12.3 GigabitEthernet0/0 Which statement is correct?
Question 3
What is the OSPF metric called?
Question 4
A non-root switch has two uplinks toward the root bridge. One path has a lower total STP cost than the other. What role will the lower-cost uplink have?
Question 5
A router interface applies this ACL inbound: 10 deny tcp any any eq 80 20 permit ip any any A user reports that web browsing to a server by IP address fails, but ping works. Which statement best explains the behavior?
Question 6
A router learns route 198.51.100.0/24 from OSPF with AD 110 and also has a static route to the same prefix configured with AD 150. Which route is installed?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 200-301 question test?
OSPF advertises routes with an administrative distance (AD) of 110, which is lower than the default floating static route AD of 150, making OSPF routes preferred in routing decisions.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The OSPF default route, because AD 110 beats the floating static AD 150 — A floating static route only takes over when its administrative distance is set higher than the preferred route and the preferred route disappears. The routing table shows the OSPF default because AD 110 is lower than the floating static AD 150.
What should I do if I get this 200-301 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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