Which field specifies the next-hop IP address in a route?

• A. The gateway IP address
• B. The DST Address
• C. The MTU
• D. The interface

Answer: (A)

In routing, a route entry specifies how to reach a destination by listing the next-hop, the destination network, and the interface to use. The field that carries the next-hop IP address is the gateway IP address. It tells the router the address of the next device to forward the packet to on its way to the destination. The DST Address field identifies which network is reachable through this route, not where the packet should be sent next. The MTU sets the maximum packet size for transmission, not the next hop. The interface indicates which local path to use to reach the next hop, but it doesn’t itself specify the next-hop address. So, the gateway IP address is the correct field for the next-hop IP address.