Which statement about the separation of BGP tables from the IP routing table is correct?

• A. The BGP table is merged into the IP routing table.
• B. The BGP table is separate from the IP routing table in the router.
• C. The IP routing table is replaced by the BGP forwarding database.
• D. BGP populates the IP routing table only after a full mesh.

Answer: (B)

BGP uses its own routing information base separate from the IP routing table. Routers keep a BGP table (with structures like Adj-RIB-In and Loc-RIB) to store all routes learned from neighbors and to perform policy enforcement and path selection. The IP routing table, used by the forwarding plane to actually forward packets, is built from the best BGP paths (and other routing protocols) once they’re chosen. This separation lets BGP evaluate many possible routes and apply attributes like AS_PATH, LOCAL_PREF, and MED without immediately changing forwarding decisions; only the selected best paths are installed into the IP routing table. The other options describe merging, replacing, or timing requirements that don’t reflect how BGP typically operates.