Designing Cisco Enterprise Networks (ENSLD) — Question 22

A company is using OSPF between its HQ location and a branch office. HQ is assigned area 0 and the branch office is assigned area 1. The company purchases a second branch office, but due to circuit delays to HQ, it decides to connect the new branch office to the existing branch office as a temporary measure. The new branch office is assigned to area 2. Which OSPF configuration enables all three locations to exchange routes?

Answer options

• A. The existing branch office must be configured as a stub area
• B. A virtual link must be configured between the new branch office and HQ
• C. A sham link must be configured between the new branch office and HQ
• D. The new branch office must be configured as a stub area

Correct answer: B

Explanation

The correct answer is B because a virtual link allows OSPF to connect non-contiguous areas by creating a logical connection between them, enabling route exchange. The other options are incorrect because configuring a stub area (options A and D) restricts route advertisements, and a sham link (option C) is not applicable in this scenario as it is used in different contexts.