mediumMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Runs the following command on Router R1: R1# show…
A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1:
R1# show ip policy Interface Route-map
GigabitEthernet0/1 PBR-MAP
R1# show route-map PBR-MAP
route-map PBR-MAP, permit, sequence 10 Match clauses:
ip address (access-lists): 101
Set clauses:
ip next-hop verify-availability 10.1.1.2 10 track 1
Policy routing matches: 150 packets, 12000 bytes
R1# show track 1 Track 1 IP SLA 1 reachability
Reachability is Down 1 change, last change 00:05:20 Latest operation return code: timeout
Tracked by:
ROUTE-MAP 0
Based on this output, what is the most likely outcome?
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
✓
Packets matching ACL 101 are routed normally via the routing table.
The route map uses 'ip next-hop verify-availability' with tracking. Track 1 is down because IP SLA 1 reports unreachability. Therefore, the set clause will not be applied, and packets matching ACL 101 will not be forwarded to 10.1.1.2; they will be routed normally via 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.
- ✗
Packets matching ACL 101 are forwarded to 10.1.1.2 regardless.
Why it's wrong here
The tracked next-hop 10.1.1.2 is down, so verify-availability prevents that set clause from applying; packets fall through to normal destination-based forwarding instead. Forwarding regardless is tempting because the route-map permits the traffic, but the track state overrides the next-hop assignment.
- ✗
Packets matching ACL 101 are dropped.
Why it's wrong here
PBR does not drop packets when the set clause is not applied; they are forwarded using the routing table.
- ✓
Packets matching ACL 101 are routed normally via the routing table.
Why this is correct
The route-map's set clause uses next-hop verify-availability with track 1, and track 1 is Down because IP SLA 1 timed out. With the tracked next hop unavailable, the policy route fails and packets matching ACL 101 fall through to normal destination-based routing.
- ✗
The route map is removed from the interface due to the track failure.
Why it's wrong here
A failed track only makes the set clause inactive; the route map stays attached to GigabitEthernet0/1 and matching packets fall through to the routing table. Removal is tempting because the track is bound to the route map, but Cisco IOS never detaches policy routing configuration automatically on track failure.
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Learn chapter
Device Management and Network Monitoring (SNMP, Syslog, NetFlow)
Key term
IP SLA for Path Control
IP SLA for Path Control is a Cisco technology that uses active network measurements to dynamically influence routing decisions and redirect traffic along a preferred path when network conditions change.
Key term
Policy Based Routing
Policy Based Routing (PBR) is a technology that allows network traffic to be forwarded based on user-defined policies rather than just the destination IP address in the routing table.
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Variation 1. A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1: R1# show ip policy Interface Route-map GigabitEthernet0/0 PBR-TRACK R1# show route-map PBR-TRACK route-map PBR-TRACK, permit, sequence 10 Match clauses: ip address (access-lists): 170 Set clauses: ip next-hop verify-availability 10.0.0.2 10 track 2 Policy routing matches: 100 packets, 8000 bytes R1# show track 2 Track 2 IP SLA 2 reachability Reachability is Up 2 changes, last change 00:01:30 Latest operation return code: ok Tracked by: ROUTE-MAP 0 R1# show ip route 10.0.0.2 Routing entry for 10.0.0.2/32 Known via "eigrp 1", distance 90, metric 28160 Last update from 192.168.1.2 on GigabitEthernet0/1 Based on this output, what is the most likely behavior for packets matching ACL 170?
medium- ✓ A.Packets are forwarded to 10.0.0.2.
- B.Packets are forwarded using the routing table because the next-hop is not reachable.
- C.Packets are dropped because the track object is not configured correctly.
- D.Packets are load-balanced between the next-hop and the routing table.
Why A: The route-map PBR-TRACK sets the next-hop to 10.0.0.2 with verify-availability and track 2. The show track 2 output indicates that IP SLA 2 reachability is Up, meaning the tracked object is available. Therefore, the policy-based routing will forward matching packets to 10.0.0.2. The route to 10.0.0.2 exists via EIGRP, confirming reachability.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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