mediumMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Examine the following EIGRP configuration on…
Examine the following EIGRP configuration on Router R6:
interface GigabitEthernet0/2 ip hello-interval eigrp 100 15 ip hold-time eigrp 100 45
What is the effect of these commands?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the hold time must be a multiple of the hello interval (e.g., 3x), but Cisco does not enforce this mathematically—only that the hold time is greater than the hello interval to avoid premature neighbor loss.
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
✓
EIGRP will send hello packets every 15 seconds and wait 45 seconds before declaring a neighbor down.
The commands set a non-default hello interval of 15 seconds and a hold time of 45 seconds for EIGRP AS 100 on GigabitEthernet0/2. EIGRP uses the hello interval to determine how often it sends hello packets, and the hold time is the duration the router waits without receiving a hello before declaring the neighbor down. Option A correctly describes this behavior.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
EIGRP will send hello packets every 15 seconds and wait 45 seconds before declaring a neighbor down.
Why this is correct
The hello-interval command sets the periodic hello timer to 15 seconds, and the hold-time command sets the hold timer to 45 seconds, after which the router declares the neighbour down if no hello is received.
- ✗
EIGRP will send hello packets every 45 seconds and wait 15 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
The two commands are independent: hello-interval sets 15 seconds and hold-time sets 45 seconds, so this option swaps the values. It tempts because both timers relate to neighbour adjacency, but each keyword configures its own timer separately.
- ✗
EIGRP will use the default hello interval of 5 seconds and hold time of 15 seconds.
Why it's wrong here
Explicit interface commands override the defaults, so the router uses 15-second hellos and a 45-second hold time, not 5 and 15. It tempts because those defaults apply on broadcast media when no per-interface EIGRP timers are configured.
- ✗
EIGRP will not form neighbor adjacencies because the hold time is not a multiple of the hello interval.
Why it's wrong here
Hold time need not be a multiple of the hello interval; EIGRP accepts any hold time greater than the hello interval, so adjacencies still form. It is tempting because mismatched timers do break EIGRP neighbours, but that requires the two routers' hello and hold values to disagree, not a mathematical relationship within one router.
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.