CCNP Practice Question: An engineer is deploying a virtual router…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  Configure a static route on the vRouter pointing to the physical router.

  Why it's wrong here

  Configuring a static route on the vRouter toward the physical router would only define a next hop for specific destinations; it does not enable OSPF to form adjacencies. OSPF requires multicast hello messages and protocol state exchange on an interface that is part of the routing domain. Since the management interface is isolated from the data plane, a static route cannot resolve the missing multi-access link connectivity needed for OSPF neighbor discovery.

• ✗

  Enable OSPF on the vRouter's management interface.

  Why it's wrong here

  Enabling OSPF on the management interface is ineffective because that interface is designed for out-of-band administration and often resides in a distinct management VRF or network segment. OSPF packets sent toward the management network will not reach the physical router's data-plane forwarding interfaces, so no adjacency will form. Additionally, management interfaces typically lack the bandwidth and topology connectivity required for dynamic routing protocol exchange.

• ✗

  Change the management port to a trunk port to carry routing updates.

  Why it's wrong here

  Changing the management port to a trunk port does not solve the underlying isolation problem, because a trunk port merely carries multiple VLANs at Layer 2; it does not reposition the vRouter into the data-plane forwarding path. OSPF neighbor relationships rely on IP connectivity and Layer 3 reachability, not on VLAN trunking. The management interface is still physically associated with the management plane, so routing updates would remain segregated from the OSPF area.

• ✓

  Connect the vRouter to a data plane interface (e.g., a bridge connected to a physical data port) instead of the management port.

  Why this is correct

  The vRouter must attach to a data plane interface—such as a Linux bridge or OVS bridge bound to a physical NIC—so that its OSPF packets traverse the same forwarding network as the physical router. This places the vRouter in-band, allowing multicast hello packets and database descriptors to reach the OSPF neighbor. Only then will router LSA exchange and adjacency state transitions occur properly over the intended routed network.