routing table

• A. A log of processed packets
• B. A data table stored in a router that lists the routes to particular network destinations
• C. A list of firewall rules
• D. DNS cache of domain name mappings

Answer: (B)

A routing table is a data table stored in a router that lists the routes to network destinations. The router uses this table to forward each packet by matching the packet’s destination IP address to the most specific entry, then sending the packet toward the next-hop address or out a chosen interface. Typical entries include the destination network or prefix, the subnet mask, the next-hop IP, the outbound interface, and a metric or administrative distance that helps choose the best path when multiple routes exist. Routes can be static, configured by an administrator, or learned dynamically through routing protocols. This concept is different from a log of processed packets, a list of firewall rules, or a DNS cache, which serve auditing, security filtering, or domain-name resolution purposes respectively.