easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Runs the following command to troubleshoot an…
A network engineer runs the following command to troubleshoot an EIGRP issue:
R1# show ip eigrp traffic
IP-EIGRP Traffic Statistics for process 100 Hellos sent/received: 500/495 Updates sent/received: 10/8 Queries sent/received: 2/1 Replies sent/received: 1/2 Acks sent/received: 8/10 Input queue high water mark: 2, Input queue depth: 0 Total packets sent: 521, received: 516
What does this output indicate?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misconception that any asymmetry in hello packet counts indicates packet loss, when in fact EIGRP hellos are sent unreliably and a slight mismatch is normal due to timing differences or interface delays.
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 process is functioning normally with no signs of congestion or issues.
The output shows a balanced exchange of EIGRP packets with no retransmissions, a low input queue depth of 0, and a high water mark of only 2. These metrics indicate the EIGRP process is stable, with no congestion, packet loss, or neighbor issues. The slight difference between hellos sent (500) and received (495) is normal due to timing or asymmetric paths and does not indicate a problem.
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 network is experiencing a high number of queries, indicating instability.
Why it's wrong here
Two queries sent and one received over 521 packets is negligible, not instability; EIGRP query counts rise only during active route loss or stuck-in-active conditions. It is tempting because queries do signal instability when numerous, but these counters show a stable, converged topology with normal hello traffic.
- ✓
The EIGRP process is functioning normally with no signs of congestion or issues.
Why this is correct
Hello counters are near-symmetric, queries and replies are minimal, and the input queue depth is zero with a high water mark of two, showing no backlog. This confirms stable neighbour adjacencies and normal EIGRP operation without congestion.
- ✗
There is a problem with packet loss because more hellos were sent than received.
Why it's wrong here
Sent and received hello counts differ because each router transmits independently on its own timers; a five-packet gap across 500 is normal, not loss. It is tempting because asymmetric counters can suggest drops, but EIGRP hellos are periodic and unacknowledged, so the totals need not match.
- ✗
The router is not receiving acknowledgments for its updates.
Why it's wrong here
Acks sent (8) and received (10) show acknowledgments are flowing; the counters are roughly balanced, so no update is going unacknowledged. It is tempting because low ack totals look suspicious, but EIGRP only acks reliable packets such as updates and queries, and these are being confirmed.
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.