hardMultiple Select
300-410 Practice Question: Which TWO statements about BGP route reflectors…
Which TWO statements about BGP route reflectors are true? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
A route reflector adds its own cluster ID to the cluster-list attribute when reflecting a route.
Option B is correct because when a route reflector reflects a route, it prepends its cluster ID to the CLUSTER_LIST attribute (creating it if absent), which allows loop prevention within the cluster. Option D is correct because a route reflector reflects routes learned from a client to all other clients and to all non-clients (with the exception of the route's originator), which is the core behavior that eliminates the need for a full IBGP mesh. Option A is wrong because the route reflector does not rewrite NEXT_HOP to its own address; NEXT_HOP is typically preserved (or changed per normal BGP rules), not set to the reflector. Option C is wrong because routes received from a non-client are reflected only to clients and the originator, not to other non-clients. Option E is wrong because the ORIGINATOR_ID is set to the router ID of the router that first injected the route into the IBGP mesh, not to the route reflector's own router ID.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
A route reflector modifies the NEXT_HOP attribute to its own address when reflecting routes.
Why it's wrong here
A route reflector leaves the NEXT_HOP attribute unchanged when reflecting iBGP routes; it only adds CLUSTER_LIST and ORIGINATOR_ID. This is tempting because eBGP speakers do rewrite NEXT_HOP, but that behaviour belongs to external peering, not to route reflection within an AS.
- ✓
A route reflector adds its own cluster ID to the cluster-list attribute when reflecting a route.
Why this is correct
The cluster-list attribute carries the cluster ID of the route reflector, letting other reflectors detect loops between clusters. Adding its own cluster ID on reflection satisfies the loop-prevention requirement, since clients do not re-advertise routes learned from the reflector.
- ✗
A route reflector reflects routes received from a non-client to all other non-clients.
Why it's wrong here
Route reflectors only reflect client-to-non-client and non-client-to-client; non-client-to-non-client routes are never reflected, since those peers form a full IBGP mesh already. It is tempting because route reflection is designed to reduce IBGP sessions, but that reduction applies only to client peers, not to non-client-to-non-client propagation.
- ✓
A route reflector reflects routes received from a client to all clients and non-clients.
Why this is correct
A route reflector forwards routes learned from a client to every other client and to all non-client peers, removing the full-mesh iBGP requirement. This satisfies the stem's constraint by confirming reflection scope: client-originated routes propagate outward to both peer groups, unlike routes from non-clients, which reflect only to clients.
- ✗
A route reflector always sets the originator-id attribute to the router ID of the route reflector.
Why it's wrong here
The originator-id carries the router ID of the router that first injected the route into the AS, not the reflector's own ID; the reflector's ID goes into the cluster-list. It is tempting because the reflector does add its own identifier, but that identifier is placed in the cluster-list attribute instead.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
OSPF Route Summarization and Filtering
Key term
BGP Route Reflector
A BGP Route Reflector is a networking device that reduces the number of BGP peer connections needed in a large network by allowing routers to share routing information without needing to connect to every other router directly.
About these practice questions
One of 1,401 original 300-410 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 300-410
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Which TWO statements about BGP route reflectors are true when troubleshooting route propagation issues? (Choose TWO.)
medium- ✓ A.A route reflector forwards routes received from a non-client peer to all client and non-client peers.
- B.A route reflector appends its own AS number to the AS_PATH when reflecting routes.
- ✓ C.The cluster ID is used to prevent routing loops within a route reflector cluster.
- D.Clients in a route reflector cluster must be fully meshed with each other.
- E.A route reflector changes the next-hop attribute to its own address when reflecting routes.
Why A: Option A is correct because a route reflector forwards routes learned from a non-client peer to all client peers and to all non-client peers (the latter via normal iBGP full-mesh rules), which is exactly the propagation behavior you verify when troubleshooting missing routes. Option C is correct because the CLUSTER_ID attribute (or the originator's router ID when CLUSTER_ID is absent) is used by route reflectors to detect and drop reflected routes that have already traversed the cluster, preventing routing loops inside a route reflector cluster. Option B is wrong because a route reflector does not append its own AS number when reflecting routes within the same AS; AS_PATH is only modified at AS boundaries (eBGP). Option D is wrong because the entire purpose of route reflectors is to eliminate the requirement for clients to be fully meshed with each other. Option E is wrong because a route reflector preserves the NEXT_HOP attribute when reflecting routes (next-hop is not rewritten to the reflector's address).
JA
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.