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300-410 Practice Question: The default dead interval on a Cisco IOS-XE…
What is the default dead interval on a Cisco IOS-XE router for OSPF on a broadcast network type?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the default OSPF timers for different network types, and the trap here is confusing the default dead interval for broadcast (40 seconds) with the default hello interval (10 seconds) or with the dead interval for other network types like NBMA (30 seconds).
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
✓
40 seconds
On a broadcast network type, OSPF uses a default dead interval of 40 seconds, which is four times the default hello interval of 10 seconds. This relationship is defined in RFC 2328, ensuring that a neighbor is declared down only after missing four consecutive hello packets.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
10 seconds
Why it's wrong here
The default dead interval of 10 seconds is the OSPF hello interval on broadcast networks, not the dead interval, which is four times that value (40 seconds). This option is tempting because 10 seconds is the default hello interval for OSPF on broadcast media, and many candidates confuse the two timers. It would be correct if the question asked for the default hello interval instead of the dead interval.
- ✗
30 seconds
Why it's wrong here
This value is not a standard default for OSPF dead interval on broadcast networks.
- ✓
40 seconds
Why this is correct
Correct. The dead interval is 4 × hello interval (4 × 10 = 40 seconds) by default on broadcast and point-to-point networks.
- ✗
120 seconds
Why it's wrong here
This is the default dead interval on NBMA networks (hello interval 30 seconds, dead interval 120 seconds).
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path 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.