Which Traffic Type Uses Class D IPv4 Addresses?
Short answer
A Select multicast, because Class D IPv4 addresses 224.0.0.0 through 239.255.255.255 are reserved for one-to-many group traffic.
Question
Key Takeaways
The exam tests whether you can map IPv4 address classes to traffic types; the trap is confusing multicast with anycast because both involve multiple destinations, even though anycast uses unicast addressing.
Class D IPv4 addresses, spanning 224.0.0.0 through 239.255.255.255, are reserved for multicast traffic. This page confirms option A and explains how multicast differs from anycast, broadcast, and unicast for N10-009.
Common mistake: Choosing B (anycast) is the common error: anycast delivers to the nearest member of a group of servers, but it uses ordinary unicast addresses and routing metrics—it does not draw from the Class D multicast block.
Expert Analysis
Class D is the multicast block
IPv4 classful addressing reserves Class D for multicast. Its range is 224.0.0.0 through 239.255.255.255 (224.0.0.0/4). A packet sent to a Class D destination is delivered to an IP multicast group: one-to-many communication where receivers join the group via IGMP and the network forwards traffic only toward interested segments when multicast routing (PIM) is configured. Class D addresses are destination addresses, not host-assigned source addresses. Therefore option A is correct. A learner comment reaches the same conclusion, noting that this range is specifically reserved for IPv4 multicast and one-to-many delivery to subscribed hosts.
Why the other three do not fit
Option B, anycast, also can deliver to "one of many," but it uses a unicast address assigned to multiple nodes and routing chooses the topologically nearest instance. It is not tied to the Class D space. Option C, broadcast, is a one-to-all transmission on a subnet, commonly the limited broadcast 255.255.255.255 or a directed subnet broadcast such as the last address in a /24. Option D, unicast, is one-to-one and uses Class A, B, or C addresses (plus IPv6 global unicast), never Class D.
The adjacent decisions this knowledge covers
The same distinction appears in service discovery and first-hop redundancy: mDNS uses 224.0.0.251, VRRP uses 224.0.0.18, and OSPF uses 224.0.0.5/224.0.0.6. If an ACL, firewall, or IGMP-snooping policy mishandles 224.0.0.0/4, routing adjacencies, gateway redundancy, and discovery can fail even though unicast connectivity still works. The question would flip if it asked which traffic type lets multiple geographically dispersed servers share one address and routes clients to the nearest: that is anycast (B). If it asked about all hosts on the local segment, it would be broadcast (C); if about one sender and one receiver, unicast (D).
Operational consequence Misclassifying Class D as broadcast or anycast leads to wrong filtering and capacity assumptions: multicast can be confined with IGMP snooping and PIM, whereas broadcast is subnet-bound and anycast is a routing design. Getting it wrong on N10-009 usually means choosing the "multiple destinations" distractor rather than matching the address range to the traffic type.
Official Reference
These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
When an N10-009 question names an IPv4 class, recall both its numeric range and its intended traffic pattern before reading options. For Class D, immediately anchor on 224.0.0.0/4 and one-to-many group delivery; then eliminate anycast because it is a routing/service-location technique using unicast addresses, and broadcast because it is subnet-scoped. Watch for the scenario twist—nearest instance (anycast), all hosts on the local segment (broadcast)—and match the wording to the address type rather than the protocol name.
Frequently Asked Questions
What IPv4 range is reserved for Class D multicast addresses?
How is anycast different from multicast if both can reach multiple systems?
Can a Class D address be configured as a host's source IP address?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 1 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 1
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ERB14 👍 1 Answered AMulticast: Class D IP addresses range from 224.0.0.0 to 239.255.255.255 and are specifically reserved for IPv4 multicast traffic (one-to-many communication to a group of subscribed hosts).
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