Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

In an EIGRP network, what does ‘passive’ signify about a network?

1. The network is congested

2. The network is unstable

3. The network is stable and working

4. The network is down

The correct answer is: The network is stable and working

In an EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) network, designating a network as 'passive' indicates that the network is stable and operational. A passive interface is one that is configured to not send EIGRP updates but can still receive updates. This is particularly useful in situations where you want to suppress EIGRP traffic on certain networks or interfaces while still allowing the router to learn about and route packets to those networks. By marking a network as passive, it signifies that the EIGRP process will treat that interface as stable—meaning no changes or updates are expected to occur from it, and therefore, it won't actively engage in the EIGRP neighbor discovery process. This is a critical configuration in maintaining efficient routing and resource usage, especially in larger networks. In contrast, options that imply congestion, instability, or a down state do not align with the meaning of a passive interface in EIGRP, which instead indicates a network being stable and functioning correctly within the routing protocol framework.