Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingIP ConnectivityMedium
A network engineer is designing an IPv6 network for a large organization. The organization requires a highly scalable routing protocol that supports various network topologies and can converge quickly. Which IPv6 routing protocol would be the most appropriate choice for this scenario?
- AEIGRP for IPv6 (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol)
- BBGP4+ (Border Gateway Protocol version 4 plus)
- COSPFv3 (Open Shortest Path First version 3)
- DRIPng (Routing Information Protocol next generation)
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. OSPFv3 (Open Shortest Path First version 3)
OSPFv3 is a link-state routing protocol designed for both IPv4 and IPv6. It is highly scalable, supports various network topologies (hierarchical design with areas), and offers fast convergence, making it suitable for large enterprise networks. RIPng is distance-vector and less scalable, EIGRP for IPv6 is Cisco proprietary and not as universally deployed, and BGP4+ is primarily for inter-domain routing.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. EIGRP for IPv6 is a good choice for Cisco-centric environments but is proprietary, which might be a concern for multi-vendor networks.
- B. BGP4+ is primarily an exterior gateway protocol used for routing between autonomous systems (inter-domain routing), not typically for internal enterprise networks.
- D. RIPng is a distance-vector protocol, less scalable and slower to converge compared to link-state protocols for large networks.
OSPFv3 for IPv6
OSPFv3 is the version of the Open Shortest Path First (OSPF) routing protocol that supports IPv6 (and IPv4) addresses.
- Link-state routing protocol.
- Supports IPv6 (and IPv4 in later implementations).
- Scalable, fast convergence, hierarchical design with areas.
Memory trick: For big IPv6 roads, OSPFv3 is the open, scalable map.