350-501 Architecture Practice Question
A service provider is experiencing suboptimal routing due to BGP route reflection. To improve path selection while maintaining IBGP scalability, which feature should be implemented?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between features that improve path diversity (like add-path) versus features that improve path selection optimality (like ORR), leading candidates to confuse BGP add-path as a solution for suboptimal routing caused by route reflection.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
BGP optimal route reflection (ORR)
BGP optimal route reflection (ORR) improves path selection by allowing the route reflector to calculate the best path based on the IGP metric to the client's location, rather than using its own BGP table. This overcomes the suboptimal routing caused by standard route reflection, where the RR's best path may not be optimal for all clients, while still maintaining IBGP scalability by avoiding a full mesh.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
BGP deterministic med
Why it's wrong here
Deterministic MED affects path selection but is not specifically for route reflection.
- ✗
BGP next-hop-self
Why it's wrong here
Next-hop-self changes the next-hop but does not improve path selection.
- ✓
BGP optimal route reflection (ORR)
Why this is correct
ORR enables route reflectors to select the best path based on the client's IGP metric.
- ✗
BGP add-path
Why it's wrong here
Add-path allows multiple paths to be advertised but does not improve path selection.
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Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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