Match each FortiGate routing concept to its definition.
Drag a concept onto its matching description — or click a concept then click the description.
Manually configured path to a destination network
Link-state routing protocol for internal networks
Path-vector routing protocol for internet and WAN
Routes traffic based on source/destination or service
Load-balances traffic across multiple routes with same cost
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Static routing: manually configured routes
In FortiGate, static routing relies on manual configuration, while dynamic routing uses protocols like OSPF and BGP. Policy-based routing forwards based on packet characteristics, and ECMP load-balances over equal-cost paths. Common confusions involve swapping the definitions of static and dynamic routing, or confusing dynamic routing with policy-based routing.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Static routing: manually configured routes
Why this is correct
Static routing is the process of manually entering routes into the routing table by an administrator, typically specifying a destination prefix, next-hop IP, and administrative distance. These routes remain in the routing table until manually removed or replaced, and they do not automatically adapt to network topology changes. As a result, static routes are most suitable for small networks or stable links where dynamic protocol overhead is unnecessary.
Dynamic routing: routes learned via routing protocols
Why this is correct
Dynamic routing leverages routing protocols such as OSPF, BGP, or RIP to automatically exchange route information between routers. The routing protocol builds neighbor adjacencies, propagates reachability information, and calculates the best path using metrics like cost, bandwidth, or path length. This enables the routing table to converge quickly after link failures or topology changes without requiring manual administrator intervention.
Policy-based routing: routing based on packet attributes
Why this is correct
Policy-based routing (PBR) forwards traffic based on packet attributes such as source IP address, destination port, protocol type, or application signature, rather than solely on the destination IP route lookup. On FortiGate, PBR is implemented through policy routes that are evaluated before the regular routing table, allowing specific flows to be sent to a different next hop or interface. This is useful for traffic engineering, such as sending VoIP traffic over a dedicated WAN link while regular internet traffic follows the destination-based routing table.
ECMP: distributing traffic over multiple equal-cost paths
Why this is correct
Equal-cost multipath (ECMP) is a load-balancing mechanism where multiple routes to the same destination have identical administrative distance and cost, and all are installed in the routing table. FortiGate distributes sessions across these equal-cost paths using a hash of source/destination IP addresses and ports, which helps preserve flow affinity while maximizing throughput. ECMP is not a separate routing protocol but a property that can apply to both static and dynamic routes.
Static routing: routes learned via routing protocols
Why it's wrong here
This statement is incorrect because 'routes learned via routing protocols' is the definition of dynamic routing, not static routing. Static routes are manually configured by an administrator and have no underlying protocol to discover or update routes automatically. The key distinction is that static routes are fixed and require manual intervention to change, whereas dynamic routes are automatically populated and updated by protocols like OSPF or BGP.
Dynamic routing: routing based on packet attributes
Why it's wrong here
This statement is incorrect because dynamic routing bases path selection on network topology and protocol metrics, such as OSPF cost or BGP AS-path length, not on packet attributes. 'Routing based on packet attributes' is the definition of policy-based routing (PBR), which overrides normal destination-based routing for traffic matching specific conditions. Dynamic routing builds a global view of reachable networks and then forwards packets according to the best metric, not per-flow conditions.
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