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300-410 Practice Question: A router is configured with PBR using a route-map…
A router is configured with PBR using a route-map that sets the next-hop to 10.0.0.2 for traffic matching ACL 100. The engineer also configures 'set ip default next-hop 10.0.0.3' in the same route-map sequence. Traffic that matches ACL 100 is forwarded to 10.0.0.2, but traffic that does not match ACL 100 is forwarded to 10.0.0.3 only if there is no route in the routing table. However, the engineer expects all unmatched traffic to go to 10.0.0.3 regardless of the routing table. What is the misunderstanding?
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 'set ip default next-hop' command overrides the routing table only when no route exists; the engineer wants unconditional forwarding.
The 'set ip default next-hop' command is used only when the packet does not have a matching route in the routing table. If a route exists (even a default route), the packet follows the routing table. The engineer should use 'set ip next-hop' instead of 'set ip default next-hop' to force all unmatched traffic to the next-hop.
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 'set ip default next-hop' command overrides the routing table only when no route exists; the engineer wants unconditional forwarding.
Why this is correct
'Set ip default next-hop' applies only when the routing table lacks a matching route, acting as a fallback. Because a route exists for unmatched traffic, the router forwards it normally, ignoring 10.0.0.3. Unconditional forwarding requires 'set ip next-hop', which overrides the routing table regardless.
- ✗
The route-map sequence order is incorrect; the default next-hop should be in a separate sequence.
Why it's wrong here
Sequence order is not the issue: both set commands sit in the same sequence and both execute for matched traffic. The real behaviour stems from 'default' meaning fallback only when no route exists. Separate sequences would be correct when matching different ACLs with distinct actions.
- ✗
The ACL 100 is blocking all traffic, so no traffic matches the set commands.
Why it's wrong here
ACL 100 permits the traffic it matches; the unmatched traffic simply falls through to normal routing because 'default next-hop' applies only absent a routing-table entry. It is tempting to blame the ACL, which would be correct if its entries denied rather than permitted the relevant source addresses.
- ✗
The 'set ip default next-hop' command requires a 'set interface' command to work.
Why it's wrong here
'set ip default next-hop' is self-contained and needs no interface statement; it already forwards matched traffic to 10.0.0.3, but only when the routing table lacks a route. It is tempting because 'set interface' is a valid PBR action, and would be correct when directing traffic out a specific egress interface.
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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.