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300-410 Practice Question: The default behavior of PBR when a 'set ip…

What is the default behavior of PBR when a 'set ip next-hop' and a 'set ip default next-hop' are both configured in the same route-map entry?

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 next-hop' is used if reachable; otherwise, the 'set ip default next-hop' is used if the routing table has no explicit route.

The 'set ip next-hop' is evaluated first. If it is reachable, it is used. If not, then the 'set ip default next-hop' is used, but only if there is no explicit route in the routing table.

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' is always used first.

    Why it's wrong here

    The 'set ip next-hop' is evaluated first.

  • ✗

    Both are used simultaneously, and the router load-balances.

    Why it's wrong here

    Only one next-hop is used; there is no load-balancing between them.

  • ✓

    The 'set ip next-hop' is used if reachable; otherwise, the 'set ip default next-hop' is used if the routing table has no explicit route.

    Why this is correct

    This is the correct order of evaluation.

  • ✗

    The router ignores both and uses the routing table.

    Why it's wrong here

    PBR processes the set commands in order.

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Same concept, more angles

3 more ways this is tested on 300-410

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. Which statement correctly describes the behavior of PBR when the next-hop specified in a 'set ip next-hop' command is unreachable?

medium
  • A.The packet is dropped immediately.
  • B.The router sends an ICMP unreachable message.
  • ✓ C.The router uses the routing table to forward the packet.
  • D.The router uses the default route if configured.

Why C: If the next-hop is unreachable, PBR will fall back to the normal routing table lookup, unless a 'set ip default next-hop' is configured.

Variation 2. A network engineer is troubleshooting PBR on a Cisco router where traffic from subnet 172.16.1.0/24 should be forwarded to next-hop 10.10.10.2. The route map 'PBR-172' is applied to interface GigabitEthernet0/0. The engineer notices that the PBR policy is not working at all. The engineer checks the route map configuration and sees 'match ip address 110' and 'set ip next-hop 10.10.10.2'. The engineer also checks the ACL 110 and confirms it matches 172.16.1.0/24. The engineer then checks the interface configuration and sees 'ip policy route-map PBR-172' applied. What should the engineer do next to isolate the issue?

medium
  • ✓ A.Check if the next-hop 10.10.10.2 is reachable via the routing table.
  • B.Add the 'set ip default next-hop' command to the route map.
  • C.Change the route map to use 'set interface' instead of 'set ip next-hop'.
  • D.Apply the route map to the outgoing interface instead of the incoming interface.

Why A: The engineer should verify that the next-hop 10.10.10.2 is reachable via a directly connected interface or a static route. PBR will not forward traffic to a next-hop that is not in the routing table or not directly connected, and will fall back to the routing table. The engineer can use 'show ip route 10.10.10.2' to check reachability.

Variation 3. An engineer configures PBR on a Cisco router using the following commands: 'route-map PBR permit 10', 'match ip address 100', 'set ip next-hop 10.1.1.1', and applies it inbound on interface GigabitEthernet0/1. Which TWO statements about this configuration are true? (Choose TWO.)

hard
  • A.The command 'ip policy route-map PBR' must be applied under interface GigabitEthernet0/1 in global configuration mode.
  • B.If the next hop 10.1.1.1 becomes unreachable, packets that match ACL 100 will be dropped by default.
  • ✓ C.Packets that do not match ACL 100 will be forwarded using the normal routing table.
  • ✓ D.The command 'debug ip policy' can be used to verify which packets are being policy-routed and to which next hop.
  • E.The route map must also include a 'match interface' statement to specify the incoming interface.

Why C: PBR is applied inbound on an interface. The route map matches packets using ACL 100. If the next hop is unreachable, the packet is forwarded using the routing table (if a default route exists) or dropped. PBR can be verified using 'show route-map' and 'debug ip policy'. The route map must be applied to the interface using 'ip policy route-map PBR'.

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.