mediumMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Is troubleshooting a route redistribution issue…
A network engineer is troubleshooting a route redistribution issue between RIP and OSPF. Router R1 runs both RIP and OSPF, and redistributes RIP routes into OSPF. The engineer notices that RIP routes are not appearing in the OSPF database on neighboring routers. The show ip ospf database external command on a neighbor shows no external routes from R1. The redistribute rip command is configured under OSPF on R1. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
300-410 often tests the subnets keyword omission as the root cause for missing redistributed routes, and candidates incorrectly blame administrative distance or distribute-lists.
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 redistribute rip command under OSPF is missing the subnets keyword.
When redistributing routes into OSPF, the subnets keyword is required to include subnetted routes. Without it, only classful network routes are redistributed, so RIP routes that are subnetted (e.g., /24) will not appear as external LSAs in the OSPF database. The symptom of no external routes in the OSPF database on neighbors, despite the redistribute rip command, points directly to the missing subnets keyword.
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 redistribute rip command under OSPF is missing the subnets keyword.
Why this is correct
OSPF redistributes only classful networks unless the subnets keyword is supplied, so RIP routes on subnetted addresses are silently omitted from external LSAs. The empty external database confirms this, since the neighbour receives no type-5 advertisements from R1.
- ✗
RIP has a higher administrative distance than OSPF.
Why it's wrong here
Administrative distance governs local route selection between protocols, not whether redistribution injects routes into OSPF; it cannot prevent external LSAs appearing. Distance is tempting because it ranks protocol trust, and would be correct when a router prefers an OSPF route over an equivalent RIP route in its own table.
- ✗
The OSPF process on R1 has a distribute-list blocking these routes.
Why it's wrong here
A distribute-list filters routes entering or leaving the OSPF process, so it would suppress the type-5 LSAs before flooding, matching the empty external database. It is tempting because distribute-lists commonly block redistribution, but the stem already confirms redistribute rip is configured and neighbours receive nothing.
- ✗
The RIP process on R1 is not running.
Why it's wrong here
If RIP were down, R1 would have no RIP routes to redistribute, but the stem confirms redistribution is configured and the symptom is absent external LSAs. The engineer should verify the RIP process is actually receiving routes first; a stopped process is a plausible but unverified assumption.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Routing Protocol Comparison
| Protocol | Metric | Max Hops | Algorithm | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RIP v2 | Hop count | 15 | Bellman-Ford | Distance vector |
| OSPF | Cost (bandwidth) | Unlimited | Dijkstra (SPF) | Link state |
| EIGRP | Composite metric | Unlimited | DUAL | Hybrid |
| IS-IS | Cost | Unlimited | Dijkstra | Link state |
| BGP | Policy / attributes | Unlimited | Path vector | Path vector |
RIP's 15-hop limit makes it unsuitable for large networks. OSPF and EIGRP dominate modern enterprise deployments.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Device Management and Network Monitoring (SNMP, Syslog, NetFlow)
Key term
Route Redistribution Between Protocols
Route redistribution between protocols is the process of taking routes learned from one routing protocol and injecting them into another routing protocol so that networks using different protocols can communicate.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
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