JN0-106 Routing Fundamentals Practice Question
Which THREE route types are considered protocol-independent in Junos?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse 'protocol-independent' with 'routing protocol' and incorrectly assume that all routes in the routing table are protocol-dependent, forgetting that direct, local, and static routes are manually or automatically generated without a dynamic protocol's involvement.
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
✓
Direct routes
Direct, local, and static routes are considered protocol-independent because they are not learned or installed by any dynamic routing protocol. Direct routes are automatically created for directly connected interfaces, local routes represent the interface's own IP address, and static routes are manually configured by an administrator. These routes exist in the routing table regardless of whether any routing protocol is running, hence the term 'protocol-independent'.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
BGP routes
Why it's wrong here
BGP is an exterior gateway protocol that establishes TCP sessions with peers and exchanges prefixes as it learns them. Because these routes depend on the BGP process, its neighbors, and the network state, they are dynamically learned and cannot be considered protocol-independent. Their presence in the routing table is entirely contingent on BGP's operation.
- ✓
Direct routes
Why this is correct
The direct route is automatically installed by Junos when you assign an IP address to an interface and it is operational. It represents the subnet directly attached to that interface, and its existence does not involve any routing protocol at all. This is why it is classified as protocol-independent.
- ✓
Local routes
Why this is correct
A local route is the /32 route that Junos automatically creates for the interface's own IP address, used to route traffic destined to the router. Like the direct route, it is generated purely from interface configuration and requires no dynamic protocol to be running. It is therefore protocol-independent.
- ✓
Static routes
Why this is correct
Static routes are explicitly configured by an administrator using the Junos CLI, for example with 'set routing-options static route'. They do not rely on any dynamic routing protocol to be learned or maintained, and they remain in the routing table until removed or the next hop becomes unavailable. Thus, they are considered protocol-independent routes.
- ✗
OSPF routes
Why it's wrong here
OSPF is a link-state interior gateway protocol that builds adjacencies, floods link-state advertisements, and runs Dijkstra's algorithm to compute routes. All OSPF routes are dynamically discovered and derived from the state of the OSPF domain. Because they result from a running dynamic protocol, they are not protocol-independent.
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.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every JN0-106 question from scratch — 326 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
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.