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CCNA 200-301: What Happens When Router Receives Packet with Destination IP Not in Its Routing Table?

Learn what occurs when a router receives a packet with a destination IP not present in its routing table for the CCNA 200-301 exam. Understand why the router drops the packet and how ICMP Destination Unreachable messages are generated.

Table of Contents

Question

What happens when a router receives a packet with a destination IP that is not in its routing table?

A. The router drops the packet
B. The router sends an ARP request
C. The router forwards it to the next available neighbor
D. The router sends an ICMP redirect
E. The router assigns a default route

Answer

A. The router drops the packet

Explanation

If no default route is configured, the router drops the packet and sends an ICMP Destination Unreachable message.

A router that receives a packet with a destination IP address not found in its routing table will drop the packet. If no default route is configured, the router cannot forward the packet and responds by sending an ICMP Destination Unreachable message to the source, indicating there is no route to the destination network. This behavior prevents packets from circulating endlessly and informs the sender that the destination is unreachable.

Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA 200-301 certification exam practice question and answer (Q&A) dump with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA 200-301 exam and earn Cisco Certified Network Associate CCNA 200-301 certification.