Configuring OSPF Router ID for IP Address Discrepancy | Cisco Exam 200-301-CCNA Solution

Correcting OSPF Router ID and IP Address Mismatch

Question

You have configured a router with an OSPF router ID, but its IP address still reflects the physical interface.

Which action can you take to correct the problem in the least disruptive way?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

A.

Once an OSPF Router ID selection is done, it remains there even if you remove it or configure another OSPF Router ID.

So the least disruptive way is to correct it using the command clear ip ospf process.

In an OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) network, each router has a unique Router ID (RID) that identifies the router. By default, the router ID is the highest IP address of any of the router's loopback interfaces. However, if the router does not have any loopback interfaces configured, the router ID is determined by the highest IP address of any of the router's active physical interfaces.

In this scenario, the router's OSPF router ID is reflecting the IP address of its physical interface, instead of a loopback interface. This can be problematic because physical interfaces may change or go down, causing the router ID to change as well. This can cause OSPF neighbor relationships to be disrupted, which can lead to network instability.

To correct the problem in the least disruptive way, you can specify a loopback address as the router ID. A loopback interface is a virtual interface that is always up and running, regardless of the status of any physical interfaces. By specifying a loopback address as the router ID, you can ensure that the ID remains constant and does not change if a physical interface goes down.

To specify a loopback address as the router ID, follow these steps:

  1. Configure a loopback interface on the router, if one does not already exist.

  2. Assign an IP address to the loopback interface.

  3. Use the "router-id" command in OSPF configuration mode to specify the IP address of the loopback interface as the router ID.

For example, if the IP address of the loopback interface is 10.0.0.1, you would enter the following command in OSPF configuration mode:

python
router-id 10.0.0.1

This will configure the router to use the IP address of the loopback interface as its OSPF router ID.

Reloading the OSPF process or rebooting the router are more disruptive options that should only be used as a last resort. Saving the router configuration is always a good practice, but it will not address the issue with the router ID reflecting the physical interface. Therefore, option B (Specify a loopback address) is the best option to correct the problem in the least disruptive way.