mediumMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Runs the following command to troubleshoot route…
A network engineer runs the following command to troubleshoot route redistribution:
R1# debug ip routing
IP: route table insert (10.10.10.0/24 via 192.168.1.1, ospf 1) metric [110/20] IP: route table insert (10.10.10.0/24 via 10.1.1.2, eigrp 100) metric [90/158720] IP: route table delete (10.10.10.0/24 via 192.168.1.1, ospf 1) metric [110/20] IP: route table insert (10.10.10.0/24 via 10.1.1.2, eigrp 100) metric [90/158720]
What does this output indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between administrative distance and metric, trapping candidates who assume that a lower metric (like OSPF's 20) automatically makes a route preferred, when in fact AD is the first criterion for routes from different protocols.
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
✓
The EIGRP route replaces the OSPF route due to lower administrative distance.
The debug output shows the OSPF route (AD 110) being inserted first, then the EIGRP route (AD 90) being inserted, followed by the deletion of the OSPF route and re-insertion of the EIGRP route. This sequence indicates that the EIGRP route replaces the OSPF route because EIGRP has a lower administrative distance (90 vs. 110), making it more trustworthy. The routing table only keeps the best route based on AD, not metric, when comparing routes from different protocols.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The router is load-balancing between OSPF and EIGRP routes.
Why it's wrong here
EIGRP's administrative distance of 90 beats OSPF's 110, so the OSPF route is deleted and only the EIGRP path remains installed. Load-balancing requires equal-cost paths from the same or configured sources; unequal distances prevent it. This debug would show two inserts only if both protocols had matching distances.
- ✓
The EIGRP route replaces the OSPF route due to lower administrative distance.
Why this is correct
EIGRP's administrative distance of 90 beats OSPF's 110, so the EIGRP path is installed and the OSPF entry removed from the routing table. The debug shows the OSPF route deleted immediately after the EIGRP insert, confirming the lower-AD route wins.
- ✗
The OSPF route is preferred due to lower metric.
Why it's wrong here
Administrative distance, not metric, decides here: EIGRP's 90 beats OSPF's 110, so the OSPF route is deleted despite its lower metric of 20. Metric comparison is the correct tie-breaker only when both routes come from the same protocol.
- ✗
Both routes are installed in the routing table.
Why it's wrong here
The OSPF entry is deleted after the EIGRP insert, leaving only the EIGRP path; the table holds one route, not two. It is tempting because both protocols initially inserted the prefix, but administrative distance resolves the conflict in EIGRP's favour.
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.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
OSPF Route Summarization and Filtering
Key term
Route Redistribution Between Protocols
Route redistribution between protocols is the process of taking routes learned from one routing protocol and injecting them into another routing protocol so that networks using different protocols can communicate.
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 →
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.