easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: The default BGP hold timer value in Cisco IOS-XE?
What is the default BGP hold timer value in Cisco IOS-XE?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is confusing the RFC 4271 minimum hold time (90 seconds) with Cisco's default (180 seconds); candidates who memorize the RFC value pick 90 and miss the vendor-specific default.
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
✓
180 seconds
Cisco IOS-XE uses a default BGP hold timer of 180 seconds, with the keepalive timer defaulting to 60 seconds (one-third of the hold time). These defaults follow RFC 4271, which specifies a hold time of 90 seconds or greater, and Cisco's implementation standardizes on 180/60. The hold timer is reset each time a KEEPALIVE or UPDATE message is received; if it expires, the session is torn down.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
90 seconds
Why it's wrong here
90 seconds is three times the BGP keepalive interval, not the hold timer; the hold timer defaults to three times keepalive, giving 180 seconds. Confusing the two values is tempting because keepalive is 60 seconds, but the hold timer is the negotiated maximum silence before a peer is declared down.
- ✗
120 seconds
Why it's wrong here
120 seconds is twice the 60-second keepalive interval, not the hold timer; Cisco IOS-XE defaults the hold timer to 180 seconds, three times keepalive. The 120-second figure tempts because it resembles a plausible multiple, but the actual default relationship is a 3:1 ratio.
- ✓
180 seconds
Why this is correct
Cisco IOS-XE negotiates a default BGP hold time of 180 seconds, with the keepalive interval derived as one third of that value, 60 seconds. Timers are carried in OPEN messages, so peers must agree before the session establishes.
- ✗
240 seconds
Why it's wrong here
The default BGP hold timer is 180 seconds, with the keepalive at 60. 240 seconds is the default dead timer for OSPF, so it is tempting when recalling IGP timers, but BGP's hold timer is negotiated independently and defaults to three times the keepalive interval.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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.