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300-410 Router R1 and R2 are running OSPF in area 0 Practice Question

Router R1 and R2 are running OSPF in area 0. R1 has a loopback interface with IP 192.168.1.1/32 advertised into OSPF. R2 learns this route as an intra-area route (AD 110). R2 also runs RIP and learns the same prefix from R3 with AD 120. R2's 'show ip route 192.168.1.1' shows the RIP route. What is the root cause?

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

R2's OSPF process has 'distance 130' configured, making OSPF routes have AD 130, which is higher than RIP's AD 120.

RIP has AD 120, OSPF has AD 110, so OSPF should be preferred. If the OSPF route is not installed, it could be due to a higher metric or a filter. The correct answer is that the OSPF route is an external route (type-5) because it was redistributed from another protocol, not an intra-area route. The scenario says intra-area, but if the loopback is not directly connected to OSPF (e.g., it is in a different VRF), it might be redistributed as external. The question states it is advertised into OSPF, but the AD for external is 110, same as intra-area. The trick is that the OSPF route might have a higher metric than the RIP route, but AD is checked first. The most likely cause is that the OSPF route is not in the routing table due to a distribute-list or because the OSPF process has 'distance 130' configured for all routes.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

  • R2's OSPF process has 'distance 130' configured, making OSPF routes have AD 130, which is higher than RIP's AD 120.

    Why this is correct

    If OSPF distance is set to 130, RIP (120) becomes preferred.

  • The RIP route has a better metric than the OSPF route.

    Why it's wrong here

    AD is compared before metric.

  • R2 has a static route with AD 1 that overrides both.

    Why it's wrong here

    No static route.

  • The OSPF route is an external route with AD 170 due to redistribution.

    Why it's wrong here

    OSPF external routes have AD 110, not 170.

Visual reference

PC R1 R2 R3 Server hop 1 hop 2 hop 3 RIP metric = 3 hops — lowest hop count wins

Quick reference

Routing Protocol Comparison

ProtocolMetricMax HopsAlgorithmType
RIP v2Hop count15Bellman-FordDistance vector
OSPFCost (bandwidth)UnlimitedDijkstra (SPF)Link state
EIGRPComposite metricUnlimitedDUALHybrid
IS-ISCostUnlimitedDijkstraLink state
BGPPolicy / attributesUnlimitedPath vectorPath vector

RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.

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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security

Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva

This 300-410 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 300-410 exam.