easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Which BGP message type is used to advertise,…
Which BGP message type is used to advertise, withdraw, and update routes?
⚠ Common exam trap
300-410 often tests basic BGP message-type functions, and candidates confuse KEEPALIVE (session maintenance) with UPDATE (route exchange) — the key is that only UPDATE carries NLRI.
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
✓
UPDATE
The BGP UPDATE message is the only message type that carries routing information — it advertises new routes (NLRI), withdraws previously advertised routes, and includes path attributes. OPEN, KEEPALIVE, and NOTIFICATION serve session establishment and maintenance, not route propagation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
OPEN
Why it's wrong here
OPEN negotiates session parameters such as version, AS number and hold time at peer establishment; it carries no NLRI, so it cannot advertise or withdraw prefixes. It tempts because OPEN initiates the BGP session, but UPDATE is the message that actually carries reachability and withdrawal information.
- ✓
UPDATE
Why this is correct
The UPDATE message carries path attributes and Network Layer Reachability Information, performing route advertisement and withdrawal between BGP peers. Withdrawals are encoded as unreachable routes within the same message type, so it handles all three functions named in the stem.
- ✗
NOTIFICATION
Why it's wrong here
NOTIFICATION reports detected errors and tears down the BGP session; it carries error codes and subcodes, never prefix reachability. It tempts because it is a core BGP message type, but UPDATE alone advertises, withdraws and updates routes between peers.
- ✗
KEEPALIVE
Why it's wrong here
KEEPALIVE maintains the session by confirming peers are alive within the hold time; it contains only a fixed header and no path attributes or NLRI. It tempts because it is exchanged continuously, but UPDATE is the message that advertises, withdraws and updates routes.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This 300-410 question is part of Courseiva's 1,401-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.