When given multiple routes to the same destination, routers use what to determine the most trustworthy route?

• A. Hop count
• B. Administrative distance
• C. Metric
• D. Bandwidth

Answer: (B)

When routers choose among multiple paths to the same destination, they first look at how trustworthy the routing information source is. This trust level is called administrative distance. Lower values mean the source is considered more trustworthy, so its routes are preferred over those learned from less trustworthy sources, even if the other path seems shorter or faster by its own metrics. For example, a static route (often treated as highly trustworthy) will be chosen over a route learned from a dynamic protocol like RIP or OSPF, regardless of the latter’s advertised path cost. If two routes come from the same source, the router then uses that source’s metrics to pick the best path, but when different sources are involved, administrative distance is what decides which route is accepted.