What type of algorithm uses an approach that determines direction and distance to any link?

• A. Link State
• B. Distance Vector
• C. Static
• D. Hybrid

Answer: (D)

Routing protocols determine the path to a destination by choosing the direction (which next hop to forward to) and the distance (the path cost) to reach that destination. A hybrid algorithm blends elements of both link-state and distance-vector methods. It keeps enough topology information to decide the best next hop while also exchanging distance-like metrics with neighbors, so it can compute both the direction and the cost to reach any destination. This combination gives fast convergence and flexibility by leveraging the strengths of both approaches. In contrast, link-state builds a complete network map and uses that to compute shortest paths, distance-vector relies on neighbor updates for path costs with slower convergence, and static routing is manual and non-adaptive. An example of a hybrid protocol is EIGRP.