easyMultiple Choice
300-410 Practice Question: The default administrative distance for OSPF…
What is the default administrative distance for OSPF routes in a VRF-Lite environment on Cisco IOS-XE?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is thinking VRF-Lite changes protocol defaults; candidates sometimes assume isolation implies different AD values, but VRF-Lite only isolates routing tables, not administrative distances.
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
✓
110
OSPF's default administrative distance on Cisco IOS-XE is 110, and this value is unchanged in a VRF-Lite environment. VRF-Lite simply creates separate routing tables per VRF on the same physical router; it does not alter the administrative distance of the routing protocols running inside each VRF. Therefore, OSPF routes in a VRF still have an AD of 110.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
90
Why it's wrong here
OSPF's default administrative distance is 110, not 90; 90 belongs to EIGRP internal routes. VRF-Lite does not alter administrative distance values, so the same defaults apply per VRF. The value 90 is tempting because EIGRP is commonly compared with OSPF in routing preference questions.
- ✓
110
Why this is correct
OSPF retains administrative distance 110 inside a VRF-Lite instance; VRF segmentation changes routing table separation, not the protocol's default preference. This matches the stem's IOS-XE VRF-Lite constraint, where the value stays identical to global OSPF.
- ✗
120
Why it's wrong here
EIGRP's default administrative distance is 120, not OSPF's; OSPF defaults to 110 in a VRF-Lite environment, unchanged by VRF membership. The value 120 is tempting because it is a real Cisco default, but it belongs to EIGRP, so selecting it misattributes the protocol.
- ✗
170
Why it's wrong here
170 is the default administrative distance for EIGRP external routes, not OSPF. OSPF uses 110 regardless of VRF-Lite, since administrative distance is protocol-specific and unchanged by VRF membership. The value 170 is tempting because it appears in distance-comparison tables alongside OSPF's 110.
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
ACL-Based Traffic Filtering and Policy-Based Routing
Key term
MPLS Layer 3 VPN
A technology that uses Multiprotocol Label Switching to create secure, scalable virtual private networks that connect multiple sites at the network layer, where the service provider manages routing between customer sites.
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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.