JN0-106 Routing Fundamentals Practice Question
Which two statements are true about static routes on Juniper devices? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume a static route with a next-hop of an interface remains active regardless of interface state, but Junos strictly requires the interface to be up for the route to be installed.
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
✓
A static route with a next-hop of an IP address requires that the next-hop be reachable.
Option A is correct because a static route whose next-hop is specified as an IP address is only installed in the routing table (and thus active) if that next-hop is resolvable and reachable via a route in inet.0; if the next-hop is unreachable, the route stays hidden. Option B is correct because Junos supports the qualified-next-hop statement, which lets you attach a separate preference to each next-hop of a static route, enabling conditional/backup routing where the secondary next-hop is used only when the primary becomes unreachable. Option C is wrong because a static route pointing at an interface (e.g., next-hop ge-0/0/0.0) is only active while that interface is up, so it is not active when the interface is down. Option D is wrong because in Junos a lower preference value is preferred, so a route with preference 5 wins over one with preference 10. Option E is wrong because static routes can perform load balancing by configuring multiple next-hops (or multiple paths) for the same destination, which are then installed as equal-cost multipath entries.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A static route with a next-hop of an IP address requires that the next-hop be reachable.
Why this is correct
In Junos, a static route with a next-hop IP address is activated only when that next-hop is resolvable through an existing active route in the routing table. If the next-hop becomes unreachable (e.g., its connected interface goes down or the route to it disappears), the static route is marked inactive and no longer installs in the forwarding table. This ensures the router does not black-hole traffic by sending it to a dead next-hop.
- ✓
Static routes can be configured with a qualified-next-hop to provide conditional routing.
Why this is correct
Qualified next-hops allow a single static route to define multiple next-hop addresses with different route preference values. The primary (lowest preference) next-hop is used when reachable; if it becomes unreachable, Junos automatically installs the next qualified next-hop with the next-lowest preference. This provides conditional routing by selecting a fallback path based on real-time reachability of the next-hops, rather than requiring a dynamic routing protocol.
- ✗
A static route with a next-hop of an interface will be active even if the interface is down.
Why it's wrong here
A static route with a next-hop of an interface (e.g., a directly connected interface) remains active only while that interface is operationally up and has at least one configured IPv4/IPv6 address. If the interface is administratively or physically down, Junos removes the route from the routing table and it cannot be used for packet forwarding. Thus the statement that it would be active even when the interface is down is incorrect.
- ✗
A static route with a preference of 10 is preferred over a static route with a preference of 5.
Why it's wrong here
Junos uses the route preference (also called administrative distance) to select the best route; a lower preference value indicates a more preferred route. A static route with a preference of 5 is preferred over one with a preference of 10 because 5 is numerically lower. Therefore, the statement claiming a preference of 10 is preferred is backwards and would cause routing decisions to be made incorrectly if followed.
- ✗
Static routes cannot be used for load balancing.
Why it's wrong here
Static routes absolutely can be used for load balancing in Junos by configuring multiple equal-cost next-hops under the same static route (e.g., via the 'qualified-next-hop' with equal preferences or by listing multiple next-hops). These paths are installed in the forwarding table, and traffic is distributed among them using per-flow or per-packet load balancing. The claim that static routes cannot be used for load balancing is false because Junos supports static route load sharing when the next-hops have equal preference and are reachable.
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