hardMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Runs the following command on Router R7: R7# show…
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R7:
R7# show logging | include %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL *Mar 1 00:05:10.123: %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation failed for size 1024, from process 0x12345678, pool Processor *Mar 1 00:06:20.456: %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation failed for size 2048, from process 0x12345678, pool Processor *Mar 1 00:07:30.789: %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL: Memory allocation failed for size 512, from process 0x12345678, pool Processor
Based on this output, what is the most likely problem?
⚠ Common exam trap
300-410 often tests the ability to distinguish between memory, CPU, and logging issues — candidates may see 'logging' in the command and incorrectly pick the logging buffer answer, ignoring the actual MALLOCFAIL message.
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 router has a memory leak or is running out of memory in the Processor pool.
The %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL messages indicate that the router failed to allocate memory from the Processor pool for various sizes. Repeated allocation failures across different sizes strongly suggest a memory leak or exhaustion in that pool, which is a critical resource issue. This matches option A.
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 has a memory leak or is running out of memory in the Processor pool.
Why this is correct
Repeated %SYS-2-MALLOCFAIL messages across multiple sizes, all from the same process in the Processor pool, indicate that process is failing to obtain memory. This points to a memory leak or exhaustion within the Processor pool rather than a transient allocation spike.
- ✗
The router is experiencing high CPU utilization due to routing protocol updates.
Why it's wrong here
High CPU from routing updates would not produce allocation failures for specific sizes from one process; CPU and memory pool exhaustion are separate resources. CPU troubleshooting applies when processes are starved of cycles, not when allocations are refused.
- ✗
The router's logging buffer is full and cannot store new messages.
Why it's wrong here
A full logging buffer suppresses new messages rather than generating MALLOCFAIL entries; these messages were written successfully. Buffer sizing is the right concern when recent events are missing, not when allocation failures are being logged.
- ✗
The router has a hardware failure in the memory module.
Why it's wrong here
MALLOCFAIL reports a software allocation request refused by a memory pool, not a failing DIMM; hardware faults typically surface as parity or bus errors. Hardware diagnosis is tempting because memory is named, but the pool and process fields point to exhaustion.
Go deeper
Related to this question
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 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.