This 350-601 practice question tests your understanding of network. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An engineer is designing a Layer 3 network for a data center using OSPF. The core switches are connected to aggregation switches. To optimize convergence, which OSPF network type should be used on the links between core and aggregation?
broadcast
Why wrong: Default type but adds DR election overhead.
non-broadcast
Why wrong: Requires manual neighbor commands, not recommended for simple links.
point-to-multipoint
Why wrong: Used for hub-and-spoke topologies, not direct links.
point-to-point
Eliminates DR election, reduces convergence time.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
point-to-point
In a data center spine-leaf architecture, the links between core (spine) and aggregation (leaf) switches are typically point-to-point Layer 3 links. Configuring OSPF network type point-to-point (option D) on these interfaces eliminates the need for DR/BDR election, reduces hello and dead timers (default 10s/40s vs 30s/120s for broadcast), and allows faster convergence because OSPF immediately forms a neighbor adjacency without waiting for election delays.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
broadcast
Why it's wrong here
Default type but adds DR election overhead.
non-broadcast
Why it's wrong here
Requires manual neighbor commands, not recommended for simple links.
point-to-multipoint
Why it's wrong here
Used for hub-and-spoke topologies, not direct links.
point-to-point
Why this is correct
Eliminates DR election, reduces convergence time.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Cisco often tests the misconception that broadcast is the default and therefore best for Ethernet links, but in a data center spine-leaf design, point-to-point is preferred because it eliminates DR/BDR election overhead and provides faster convergence.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Requires manual neighbor commands, not recommended for simple links.
Detailed technical explanation
OSPF point-to-point network type sets the hello interval to 10 seconds and dead interval to 40 seconds by default, compared to 30/120 for broadcast, enabling faster failure detection. Additionally, point-to-point links do not require the 2-way state or DR/BDR election, so OSPF transitions directly from ExStart to Full state, reducing convergence time by hundreds of milliseconds in large data center fabrics. In real-world deployments, Cisco NX-OS and IOS-XE often use 'ip ospf network point-to-point' on routed access ports to optimize OSPF performance.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
What to study next
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FAQ
Network — This question tests Network — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: point-to-point — In a data center spine-leaf architecture, the links between core (spine) and aggregation (leaf) switches are typically point-to-point Layer 3 links. Configuring OSPF network type point-to-point (option D) on these interfaces eliminates the need for DR/BDR election, reduces hello and dead timers (default 10s/40s vs 30s/120s for broadcast), and allows faster convergence because OSPF immediately forms a neighbor adjacency without waiting for election delays.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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