Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

What does the hold time in the #show eigrp neighbors indicate?

1. The interval for sending update packets

2. How long the router will wait for a hello packet from the neighbor

3. The time a neighbor has been available

4. The lifespan of routes in the routing table

The correct answer is: How long the router will wait for a hello packet from the neighbor

The hold time in the #show eigrp neighbors command refers to the duration that a router will wait to receive a hello packet from a neighbor before declaring that neighbor as down. In EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol), hello packets are periodically sent to maintain neighbor relationships. If a router does not receive a hello packet from a neighbor within the configured hold time, it assumes the neighbor is no longer reachable and will remove that neighbor from its neighbor table. This mechanism helps in quickly adapting to changes in the network topology and ensuring that routing tables are kept up to date, promoting the stability and reliability of network communications. Understanding the significance of the hold time is crucial for network administrators working to maintain efficient and responsive routing protocols. It is also important to differentiate this from other aspects of EIGRP, such as the interval for sending update packets, which relates to how often routing updates are sent, and the lifespan of routes in the routing table, which pertains to the validity duration of learned routes.