mediumMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Router bgp 65000 bgp router-id 10.0.0.1 neighbor…
router bgp 65000
bgp router-id 10.0.0.1
neighbor 10.0.0.2 remote-as 65001 neighbor 10.0.0.2 ebgp-multihop 2 neighbor 10.0.0.2 update-source Loopback0
! What is the purpose of the ebgp-multihop 2 command?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the distinction between ebgp-multihop (which adjusts TTL for non-directly connected peering) and BGP multipath (which enables load balancing), causing candidates to confuse the two features.
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
✓
It allows the eBGP session to be established with a neighbor that is not directly connected, with a maximum of 2 hops.
The ebgp-multihop 2 command allows an eBGP session to be established between peers that are not directly connected at Layer 3. By setting the TTL to 2, it permits the BGP packets to traverse one intermediate router (hop) to reach the neighbor, which is necessary when using loopback interfaces for eBGP peering.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
It allows the eBGP session to be established with a neighbor that is not directly connected, with a maximum of 2 hops.
Why this is correct
Correct. In standard eBGP, the IP TTL of BGP packets is set to 1 by default, meaning the neighbor must be directly connected at the link layer. The `ebgp-multihop 2` command increases the TTL to 2, letting the BGP update traverse one intermediate router and enabling the session to an eBGP peer that is not directly connected. This is commonly used when peering between loopback interfaces for resilience or when the peer is reachable through a multihop path.
- ✗
It sets the maximum number of prefixes that can be received from the neighbor to 2.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Limiting the number of prefixes a BGP speaker will accept from a neighbor is the function of the `maximum-prefix` command, which can optionally generate a warning, reset the session, or shut down the peer once the threshold is exceeded. `ebgp-multihop 2` has no effect on prefix acceptance; the '2' specifies the TTL or hop count for the BGP packets, not a maximum prefix count. Confusing the two is a common mistake because both commands have numeric parameters, but they operate on completely different aspects of BGP operation.
- ✗
It limits the number of paths BGP can install for load balancing to 2.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The `ebgp-multihop 2` option configures the Time-to-Live (TTL) value in the IP header of BGP packets to 2, allowing the session to traverse up to two router hops. It bears no relation to how many paths BGP installs for load balancing; that behavior is exclusively governed by the `maximum-paths` command, which sets the maximum number of equal-cost routes placed in the routing table. The '2' here increments TTL, not path count.
- ✗
It enables BGP multipath for eBGP with a hop count of 2.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. `ebgp-multihop` modifies the TTL of BGP packets to permit a session to a non-directly connected peer; it does not enable BGP multipath or load balancing. Enabling multipath requires the `maximum-paths` command (e.g., `maximum-paths eibgp 2`), along with other conditions like identical AS_PATH, MED, and next-hop reachability, to install multiple routes. A single ebgp-multihop session with a hop limit of 2 still has only one path per prefix, so it cannot create parallel routes.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 350-401 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 350-401 exam.