What RIP stability feature sets a route's hop count to 16?

The feature that sets a route's hop count to 16 in RIP (Routing Information Protocol) is known as Poison Reverse. In RIP, a hop count of 16 is considered an indication of an unreachable route. When a router receives an update about a route, it will use the Poison Reverse technique to inform other routers that a particular route has become unreachable by advertising that route with a hop count of 16 back to the router from which it received the update.

This mechanism plays a crucial role in improving the stability of the routing information by preventing routing loops. By explicitly indicating that a route is not just down but unreachable, routers can act accordingly and not rely on stale information that may still be in circulation within the network. It allows for a faster convergence time in the routing environment, mitigating the potential for loops that can occur due to outdated routing information.

The other options, while they may contribute to routing stability in different contexts, do not specifically set a hop count to 16 in RIP. For example, Split Horizon helps prevent routing loops without sending information back out the same interface it was received from; Holddown Timers are used to stabilize routing information and prevent flapping; and Link State Advertisement relates to a different protocol that involves a more