JN0-106 Routing Fundamentals Practice Question
A static route is configured with next-hop 10.0.0.1, but the route does not appear in the routing table. The interface ge-0/0/0 has IP 192.168.1.2/24 and is up. What is the most likely reason?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume any IP address can be used as a next-hop for a static route, but Junos strictly enforces that the next-hop must be on a directly connected subnet unless recursive resolution is explicitly configured.
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 next-hop IP is not on a directly connected subnet.
D is correct because Junos requires the next-hop IP of a static route to be reachable via a directly connected subnet for the route to be installed in the routing table. Since the next-hop 10.0.0.1 is not on the same subnet as the interface ge-0/0/0 (192.168.1.2/24), the route remains hidden and does not appear in the routing table.
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 static route has a preference of 5.
Why it's wrong here
A static route in Junos defaults to a preference of 5, which is a very favorable (low) value compared to most dynamic protocols (e.g., OSPF's 10). A low preference makes the route more likely to be selected when competing for the same prefix, so it would not prevent installation. The route's absence is instead due to next-hop reachability, not route preference.
- ✗
The route is hidden due to an import policy.
Why it's wrong here
In Junos, import policies govern routes learned from routing-protocol peers, such as BGP or OSPF updates. Locally configured static routes are sourced from the configuration itself and are not subject to import policy filtering unless you explicitly apply an import policy under the static protocol—which is rare and not assumed. Moreover, a policy-rejected route is simply not installed, not 'hidden'; Junos marks unresolved next-hop routes as hidden, which is a different mechanism.
- ✗
The static route is configured with the 'discard' option.
Why it's wrong here
Configuring a static route with the 'discard' option (or 'reject') causes Junos to install a route that explicitly drops or rejects traffic to that destination. Such a route always appears in the routing table as a discard/reject route, so it cannot be the reason the route is missing. The question states the route's next hop is an IP address (10.0.0.1), not the discard keyword, so this option is factually inconsistent with the given configuration.
- ✓
The next-hop IP is not on a directly connected subnet.
Why this is correct
For a static route with an IP next hop to be installed in the Junos routing table, that next hop must be directly reachable via one of the router's connected interfaces. If 10.0.0.1 does not belong to any subnet configured on the router, the route cannot resolve the next-hop MAC address and remains hidden. Without the 'resolve' option, Junos does not perform recursive lookup, so the route is not installed; this matches the symptom exactly.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This JN0-106 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Juniper Networks 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 JN0-106 exam.