3.0 CCNA - IP Connectivity

3.1 Routing Table and Components

• Routing protocol code

• Prefix

• Network mask

• Next hop

• Administrative distance

• Metric

• Gateway of last resort

a. Routing protocol code: A routing protocol code is a shorthand way to identify the routing protocol that is responsible for updating the routing table with a particular route. For example, "O" stands for OSPF, "C" stands for connected, and "S" stands for static.

b A prefix is the network address of a route. It specifies the network or subnet that a particular route represents.

c. Network mask: The network mask is used to determine which portion of an IP address represents the network address and which portion represents the host address. It is also used to perform subnetting.

d. Next hop: The next hop is the IP address of the next router in the path to the destination network.

e. Administrative distance: Administrative distance is a numerical value that is assigned to each routing protocol by the router. It is used to determine which protocol is preferred when there are multiple routes to the same destination from different protocols. The lower the administrative distance, the more preferred the protocol.