Which term describes a routing protocol that combines distance-vector and link-state characteristics?

• A. Balanced Hybrid
• B. Full Link-State
• C. Pure Distance Vector
• D. Path Vector

Answer: (A)

Hybrid routing protocols blend distance-vector and link-state techniques to balance convergence speed with scalability. They use neighbor-based updates like distance-vector protocols, but also maintain topology information and compute routes using a shortest-path-style algorithm, similar to link-state methods. This combination lets networks converge quickly while avoiding the flood-driven overhead of pure link-state approaches. The term that signals this mix is the balanced hybrid idea, i.e., a protocol designed to incorporate both strategies rather than being strictly one or the other. A real-world example is EIGRP, which employs a topology-like database and a distance-vector style update process to determine efficient routes, offering fast convergence and reliable loop avoidance. The other options describe approaches that are purely one method or a different routing model altogether (for instance, path vector used by BGP), so they don’t capture the blending of distance-vector and link-state characteristics.