300-410 OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3) Practice Question
This 300-410 practice question tests your understanding of ospf troubleshooting (v2/v3). The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A network engineer is troubleshooting an OSPFv2 adjacency issue between two directly connected routers, R1 and R2, both running IOS-XE. The link is a point-to-point Ethernet link. The engineer issues 'show ip ospf neighbor' on R1 and sees no neighbors. 'show ip ospf interface GigabitEthernet0/0' on R1 shows 'Network Type BROADCAST', but the link is actually a point-to-point link. Both routers have 'ip ospf 1 area 0' configured on the interface. What is the most likely cause of the adjacency not forming?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
The OSPF network type mismatch between the two routers (one is BROADCAST, the other is POINT-TO-POINT).
Why wrong: Both show BROADCAST, so no mismatch.
B
The routers have duplicate OSPF router IDs.
Duplicate router IDs prevent OSPF adjacency from forming; each router must have a unique router ID.
C
The interface is configured with 'ip ospf passive-interface'.
Why wrong: Passive interface would still allow the router to receive hellos but not send them, but the neighbor list would show the neighbor in INIT state, not absent.
D
The OSPF process is not enabled globally; 'router ospf 1' is missing.
Why wrong: If 'ip ospf 1 area 0' is configured on the interface, the process is automatically created if not already present.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The routers have duplicate OSPF router IDs.
The default OSPF network type on Ethernet interfaces is BROADCAST, which requires a DR/BDR election and uses multicast 224.0.0.5 and 224.0.0.6. On a point-to-point link, if both routers do not agree on the network type, they may not form an adjacency because the hello packets are sent differently. However, since both are BROADCAST, they should form an adjacency. The real issue is likely a mismatch in OSPF network type if one side is manually set to POINT-TO-POINT, but here both are BROADCAST. A more common cause is that the interface is administratively down or there is a Layer 1 issue, but the stem indicates the interface is up. Another common cause is that the router IDs are not configured, leading to OSPF not starting. The most likely cause in this scenario is that the routers have duplicate router IDs, which prevents adjacency formation. The stem does not mention router IDs, so the best answer is that the engineer should check for duplicate router IDs.
Key principle: OSPF neighbour adjacency depends on matching area, hello/dead timers, network type, and authentication — IP reachability alone is not enough.
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 OSPF network type mismatch between the two routers (one is BROADCAST, the other is POINT-TO-POINT).
Why it's wrong here
Both show BROADCAST, so no mismatch.
✓
The routers have duplicate OSPF router IDs.
Why this is correct
Duplicate router IDs prevent OSPF adjacency from forming; each router must have a unique router ID.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
The interface is configured with 'ip ospf passive-interface'.
Why it's wrong here
Passive interface would still allow the router to receive hellos but not send them, but the neighbor list would show the neighbor in INIT state, not absent.
✗
The OSPF process is not enabled globally; 'router ospf 1' is missing.
Why it's wrong here
If 'ip ospf 1 area 0' is configured on the interface, the process is automatically created if not already present.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: OSPF can fail even when IP connectivity looks correct
OSPF neighbour formation depends on matching areas, timers, network type, authentication and passive-interface behaviour. Do not choose an answer only because the devices can ping.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Both show BROADCAST, so no mismatch.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
OSPF questions usually test the details that control adjacency and route selection. Read the neighbour state, area, router ID and interface configuration before deciding what is wrong.
KKey Concepts to Remember
OSPF neighbours must agree on key parameters.
Router ID selection can affect neighbour relationships and LSDB output.
OSPF cost influences the preferred path.
A route can appear in OSPF information but not become the installed route.
TExam Day Tips
→Check area mismatch first when OSPF adjacency fails.
→Review passive interfaces when a network is advertised but no neighbour forms.
→Use show ip ospf neighbor and show ip route clues carefully.
Key takeaway
OSPF neighbour adjacency depends on matching area, hello/dead timers, network type, and authentication — IP reachability alone is not enough.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 300-410 question in full detail.
Review OSPF neighbour requirements — matching area type, hello and dead timers, network type, stub flags, and authentication. Study show ip ospf neighbor states (INIT, 2-WAY, FULL). Then practise related 300-410 OSPF questions on adjacency and route selection.
OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3) — This question tests OSPF Troubleshooting (v2/v3) — OSPF neighbours must agree on key parameters..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The routers have duplicate OSPF router IDs. — The default OSPF network type on Ethernet interfaces is BROADCAST, which requires a DR/BDR election and uses multicast 224.0.0.5 and 224.0.0.6. On a point-to-point link, if both routers do not agree on the network type, they may not form an adjacency because the hello packets are sent differently. However, since both are BROADCAST, they should form an adjacency. The real issue is likely a mismatch in OSPF network type if one side is manually set to POINT-TO-POINT, but here both are BROADCAST. A more common cause is that the interface is administratively down or there is a Layer 1 issue, but the stem indicates the interface is up. Another common cause is that the router IDs are not configured, leading to OSPF not starting. The most likely cause in this scenario is that the routers have duplicate router IDs, which prevents adjacency formation. The stem does not mention router IDs, so the best answer is that the engineer should check for duplicate router IDs.
What should I do if I get this 300-410 question wrong?
Review OSPF neighbour requirements — matching area type, hello and dead timers, network type, stub flags, and authentication. Study show ip ospf neighbor states (INIT, 2-WAY, FULL). Then practise related 300-410 OSPF questions on adjacency and route selection.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
OSPF neighbours must agree on key parameters.
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