Question
A router will perform what search as it examines the routing table when making a forwarding decision?
Group of answer choices
The numerically smallest interface ID
The shortest mask match
The numerically smallest first octet
The longest mask match
Group of answer choices
The numerically smallest interface ID
The shortest mask match
The numerically smallest first octet
The longest mask match
Answers
GPT-4o mini
When a router examines the routing table to make a forwarding decision, it performs **the longest mask match** search. This means it looks for the most specific route that matches the destination IP address, which is determined by the longest subnet mask. This ensures that the router forwards packets based on the most precise routing information available.