mediumMultiple Choice
350-401 Practice Question: Issues the following command on Router R3: R3#…
A network engineer issues the following command on Router R3:
R3# show ip bgp summary
BGP router identifier 10.0.0.3, local AS number 65003 BGP table version is 12345, main routing table version 12345
Neighbor V AS MsgRcvd MsgSent TblVer InQ OutQ Up/Down State/PfxRcd 192.168.1.1 4 65001 12345 12345 12345 0 0 1w2d 150 192.168.1.2 4 65002 12345 12345 12345 0 0 2w0d 200
Based on this output, what can be concluded?
⚠ Common exam trap
Cisco often tests the misinterpretation of the 'State/PfxRcd' column, where candidates mistakenly think a numeric value indicates a state like 'Idle' or 'Active', rather than understanding it represents the number of received prefixes.
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
✓
Router R3 has received a total of 350 prefixes from its BGP neighbors.
The 'State/PfxRcd' column shows the number of prefixes received from each neighbor. Router R3 has received 150 prefixes from 192.168.1.1 and 200 prefixes from 192.168.1.2, totaling 350 prefixes. This confirms that both BGP sessions are established and exchanging routes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Both BGP neighbors are in the 'Idle' state.
Why it's wrong here
In the BGP finite state machine, Idle is the initial state before any TCP connection attempt, and the show ip bgp summary output reflects this by displaying the text 'Idle' in the State/PfxRcd column. Because the column for both neighbors shows numeric values (150 and 200) rather than a state string, both sessions have moved through Connect, OpenConfirm, and into the Established state. Only in the Established state does the BGP speaker actually receive and count prefixes, so the presence of these numbers directly contradicts the claim that both neighbors are Idle.
- ✓
Router R3 has received a total of 350 prefixes from its BGP neighbors.
Why this is correct
The State/PfxRcd column of show ip bgp summary lists how many BGP prefixes have been accepted from each specific neighbor. Router R3's output shows 150 prefixes from one neighbor and 200 from the other, and adding these two independent count values yields 350 total received prefixes. This total represents all successful UPDATE messages that R3 has processed from its two peers, not a mere administrative distance or route metric.
- ✗
The BGP session with 192.168.1.1 is down.
Why it's wrong here
A BGP session that is down would never present a prefix count; the State/PfxRcd column would instead transition from Idle to Active or Connect and stay with a textual state. Since the output for 192.168.1.1 shows the number 150, that neighbor has successfully completed the TCP connection and sent R3 150 reachable prefixes. The very existence of a nonzero prefix count is proof that the session is up, because prefix exchange only occurs in the Established state.
- ✗
Router R3 is in AS 65001.
Why it's wrong here
Router R3's local AS number is displayed in the show ip bgp summary output near the top of the command result, and in the given scenario it is 65003. While 192.168.1.1 may belong to AS 65001, R3 itself is in 65003, and a BGP router cannot be in two different AS numbers at once without a BGP confederation or other special case. Misreading the remote AS of a peer as the local AS is a common mistake, but the command output explicitly distinguishes neighbor AS from the local AS.
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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.