An Internet router has the following entries in its forwarding table:
IP prefix 5.0.0.0/8 --> output link 1.
IP prefix 5.0.0.0/24 --> output link 2.
A packet arrives at the router with destination IP address 5.0.0.10. Which output link will the router choose?

Question

An Internet router has the following entries in its forwarding table:

A packet arrives at the router with destination IP address 5.0.0.10. Which output link will the router choose?

Accepted Answer

Link 2, because 5.0.0.0/24 exactly matches more bits of the destination IP address.

Answer

It could choose any of the two links, because they both match the destination IP address.

Answer

Link 1, because 5.0.0.0/8 is the bigger of the two matching IP prefixes.

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