JN0-106 Routing Fundamentals Practice Question
A network engineer configures a static route to a remote network. They want the route to be automatically removed from the routing table if the directly connected interface used to reach the next hop fails. Which configuration approach should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that Cisco engineers often assume that specifying a next-hop IP address is the only valid way to configure a static route, but in Junos, using the interface name directly ties the route to the interface's state, which is the key to automatic removal upon interface failure.
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
✓
Configure the next-hop as the interface name.
Configuring the next-hop as an interface name (e.g., ge-0/0/0) creates a static route that is automatically removed from the routing table when that interface goes down. This is due to the route being 'qualified' by the interface's operational state; if the interface fails, the route is withdrawn. In contrast, using an IP address as the next-hop does not tie the route to the interface's state, so the route remains even if the interface fails, as long as the next-hop is reachable via another path.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure a higher metric on the static route.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the metric on a static route in Junos does not change how the route treats interface state. The metric is a preference component used when multiple static routes or routing protocols compete for the same destination, and a higher metric makes the route less likely to be selected. It has no bearing on whether the route is installed or removed based on the operational status of an interface, so it cannot solve the problem of a route persisting when its interface goes down.
- ✗
Configure a preference of 0 on the static route.
Why it's wrong here
Setting a static route's preference to 0 gives it the highest possible priority among routing protocols, which means it will always be preferred when the routing table selects routes. However, preference controls route selection between protocols, not the route's lifetime or dependency on an interface being up. A static route configured with a next-hop IP address will remain in the routing table even with preference 0, because preference does not monitor interface state.
- ✗
Configure the next-hop as an IP address.
Why it's wrong here
Configuring only an IP address as the next-hop does not tie the route to a specific interface's operational state. Instead, the route relies on ARP resolution to determine the next-hop's reachability, and if the interface goes down, the route is not removed immediately but may remain until the ARP entry times out or the next-hop becomes unreachable through another path. This makes the route dependent on next-hop reachability, not directly on the interface being up, which is why it does not meet the requirement.
- ✓
Configure the next-hop as the interface name.
Why this is correct
In Junos, specifying an interface name as the next-hop creates an interface-dependent static route that is installed only when that interface is present and operational. When the interface goes down, the route is automatically withdrawn from both the routing and forwarding tables, allowing immediate failover to any backup route. This is exactly the behavior needed to remove the route without relying on ARP timeout or reachability checks.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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