Question 575 of 2,152

EIGRP Troubleshooting →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

300-410 EIGRP Troubleshooting Practice Question

This 300-410 practice question tests your understanding of eigrp troubleshooting. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.

A network engineer runs the following command on Router R1:

R1# show ip eigrp topology 10.50.50.0/24

EIGRP-IPv4 Topology Entry for AS(100)/ID(192.168.1.1) for 10.50.50.0/24 State: Active, Reply status: 0, Originating router: 192.168.1.1 Routing Descriptor Blocks:

10.1.1.2 (GigabitEthernet0/0), from 10.1.1.2, Send flag: 0x0

Composite metric: (4294967295/4294967295), Route is Internal Vector metric: Minimum bandwidth: 100000 Kbit Total delay: 100 microseconds Reliability: 255/255 Load: 1/255 Minimum MTU: 1500 Hop count: 1

Based on this output, what is the problem?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

A
The route is in Active state with an infinite metric, indicating that the router has lost the route and is querying for a new path.
Active state with Infinity metric means the route is unreachable and the router is actively seeking a replacement.
B
The route is passive and stable.
Why wrong: The state is Active, not Passive.
C
The metric of 4294967295 is normal for a summary route.
Why wrong: Infinity metric indicates unreachability, not a summary.
D
The hop count of 1 indicates the route is one hop away and reachable.
Why wrong: Despite the hop count, the metric is Infinity, so the route is not reachable.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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 route is in Active state with an infinite metric, indicating that the router has lost the route and is querying for a new path.

The route is in Active state with a composite metric of 4294967295 (the maximum 32-bit value, effectively infinite), which indicates that the router has lost the feasible successor and is actively sending queries to neighbors to find an alternative path. This is a classic sign of an EIGRP query process in progress, meaning the route is not stable or reachable.

Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

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 route is in Active state with an infinite metric, indicating that the router has lost the route and is querying for a new path.
Why this is correct
Active state with Infinity metric means the route is unreachable and the router is actively seeking a replacement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The route is passive and stable.
Why it's wrong here
The state is Active, not Passive.
✗
The metric of 4294967295 is normal for a summary route.
Why it's wrong here
Infinity metric indicates unreachability, not a summary.
✗
The hop count of 1 indicates the route is one hop away and reachable.
Why it's wrong here
Despite the hop count, the metric is Infinity, so the route is not reachable.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Cisco often tests the misconception that a route in Active state with a high metric is still reachable or that the metric value is normal, when in fact the Active state and infinite metric together indicate a route that is being actively queried and is currently unreachable.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

In EIGRP, the Active state occurs when a route's successor and all feasible successors are lost, triggering the Diffusing Update Algorithm (DUAL) to send queries to all neighbors. The metric 4294967295 is the EIGRP-defined 'infinite' metric (2^32 - 1), used to poison the route during the query process. The router will remain in Active state until all replies are received, after which it either installs a new successor or marks the route as stuck-in-active (SIA) if replies are missing.

KKey Concepts to Remember

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.

TExam Day Tips

Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.

Key takeaway

Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A network engineer at a university connects two campus buildings via a fibre link. Both routers run OSPF, but no adjacency forms — even though both routers can ping each other. The engineer finds one router is in area 0 and the other in area 1. OSPF adjacency requires matching area numbers, hello/dead timers, and network type. IP reachability alone is not enough.

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.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this 300-410 question test?

EIGRP Troubleshooting — This question tests EIGRP Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The route is in Active state with an infinite metric, indicating that the router has lost the route and is querying for a new path. — The route is in Active state with a composite metric of 4294967295 (the maximum 32-bit value, effectively infinite), which indicates that the router has lost the feasible successor and is actively sending queries to neighbors to find an alternative path. This is a classic sign of an EIGRP query process in progress, meaning the route is not stable or reachable.

What should I do if I get this 300-410 question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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