Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

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How many maximum paths can EIGRP be configured to use for load balancing?

  1. 16

  2. 32

  3. 64

  4. 128

The correct answer is: 16

EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) allows for a maximum of 16 paths to be configured for load balancing. This capability is significant as it enables EIGRP to utilize multiple routes to a destination, thereby improving throughput and redundancy. By default, EIGRP supports load balancing across up to 4 equal-cost paths. However, when specifically configured, it can scale this capability to a maximum of 16 feasible routes. This feature enhances network resilience and efficiency, especially in environments with multiple links to a specific destination, as EIGRP intelligently distributes traffic across these available paths, thus optimizing bandwidth utilization and increasing fault tolerance. Other options refer to higher configurations that do not align with EIGRP's designed maximum path capability. Keeping in mind that the nature of routing protocols like EIGRP includes path selection metrics and feasibility conditions, the specific limitation of 16 maximum paths is designed to maintain optimal performance and resource management in networks.