What is the maximum hop count defined for IGRP by default?

The correct answer indicates that the maximum hop count defined for IGRP (Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) by default is 100. IGRP, developed by Cisco, uses hop count as part of its metric to determine the best path for routing packets. The hop count metric allows IGRP to measure the distance to a destination in terms of the number of hops or devices that need to be traversed.

It's important to recognize that the maximum hop count of 100 helps in preventing routing loops and maintaining efficient routing within a network. If a destination is beyond this hop count, IGRP will consider it unreachable, allowing for more stable and manageable network topologies.

Other options present alternative hop count values that do not apply to IGRP defaults. A value of 50 could represent limitations in distance, but it’s lower than IGRP’s standard. A hop count of 200 exceeds the IGRP maximum, while 255 is a maximum value often associated with other routing protocols like RIP, highlighting that IGRP differentiates itself with a more manageable maximum to ensure optimal routing performance. Understanding these parameters is critical for network design and management to ensure effective routing strategies.