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300-410 Practice Question: A network uses PBR to route traffic from a…
A network uses PBR to route traffic from a specific subnet (172.16.1.0/24) through a WAN link (next-hop 10.10.10.2). After a routing change, traffic from this subnet is being sent to the WAN link but is not reaching the destination. Router R1 shows: 'show route-map' shows the route-map is applied, 'debug ip policy' shows traffic being forwarded to 10.10.10.2, but 'show ip route' on R1 shows a route to the destination via a different next-hop (10.20.20.2). What is the root cause?
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 next-hop 10.10.10.2 does not have a route to the destination, causing traffic to be dropped. Ensure the next-hop has a route to the destination or use a next-hop that does.
PBR forwards traffic to the set next-hop (10.10.10.2), but the routing table on R1 shows a different route to the destination. This indicates that PBR is overriding the routing table, but the next-hop 10.10.10.2 may not have a route to the destination, causing the traffic to be dropped. The solution is to ensure the next-hop has a route to the destination or use a different 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 next-hop 10.10.10.2 does not have a route to the destination, causing traffic to be dropped. Ensure the next-hop has a route to the destination or use a next-hop that does.
Why this is correct
PBR forwards traffic to the set next-hop, but if that next-hop does not have a route to the destination, the traffic will be dropped. This is a common issue when PBR is used to steer traffic through a specific path that does not have full routing information.
- ✗
The route-map on R1 is missing a 'set ip next-hop verify-availability' command, causing PBR to use an unreachable next-hop.
Why it's wrong here
The debug output shows traffic being forwarded to 10.10.10.2, indicating the next-hop is reachable. The issue is that the next-hop does not have a route to the destination, not that it is unreachable.
- ✗
The routing table on R1 has a better route to the destination via 10.20.20.2, but PBR is overriding it incorrectly.
Why it's wrong here
PBR is designed to override the routing table for matched traffic. The issue is not that PBR is overriding incorrectly, but that the next-hop it is using does not have a route to the destination.
- ✗
The ACL in the route-map is matching traffic from the wrong subnet, causing PBR to be applied to the wrong traffic.
Why it's wrong here
The debug output shows traffic from 172.16.1.0/24 being forwarded to 10.10.10.2, so the ACL is matching correctly.
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JA
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.