easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: Is troubleshooting a VRF-Lite deployment where a…
A network engineer is troubleshooting a VRF-Lite deployment where a router is configured with VRF_ORANGE. The engineer attempts to configure a static route in VRF_ORANGE using the command 'ip route vrf VRF_ORANGE 192.168.10.0 255.255.255.0 10.1.1.1', but the route does not appear in the routing table. The 'show ip route vrf VRF_ORANGE' does not show the static route. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
300-410 often tests that VRF-Lite static routes require next-hop reachability within the same VRF — candidates assume the route is broken due to a syntax or keyword issue rather than a recursive-lookup failure.
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 IP address 10.1.1.1 is not reachable in VRF_ORANGE.
In VRF-Lite, a static route configured inside a VRF is only installed if the next-hop address is resolvable within that same VRF's routing table. If 10.1.1.1 is not reachable via an interface assigned to VRF_ORANGE (or via a route learned in that VRF), the static route remains inactive and does not appear in 'show ip route vrf VRF_ORANGE'.
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 IP address 10.1.1.1 is not reachable in VRF_ORANGE.
Why this is correct
Cisco IOS installs a VRF static route only when its next hop resolves within that same VRF's routing table. Because 10.1.1.1 has no connected or learned route inside VRF_ORANGE, the route is rejected and never appears in `show ip route vrf`.
- ✗
The 'ip classless' command is disabled.
Why it's wrong here
Classless routing affects how the router resolves supernets and default routes, not whether a static route is accepted into a VRF table. It is tempting because 'ip classless' is a classic cause of missing routes, and would be correct when a classful lookup drops a route for a discontiguous subnet.
- ✗
The static route is missing the 'permanent' keyword.
Why it's wrong here
The 'permanent' keyword only keeps a static route in the table when its outgoing interface goes down; it does not make an otherwise rejected route appear. It is tempting because it addresses routes vanishing from the table, but here the next-hop is unreachable or the VRF lacks the interface, so the route is never installed.
- ✗
The router has 'no ip routing' configured.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling IP routing stops all IPv4 routing, so no VRF would populate any table, not just VRF_ORANGE; the stem shows other VRFs functioning. It is tempting as a global cause, but the fault is scoped to one VRF, pointing to a missing next-hop or interface assignment within that VRF.
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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
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.