Which OSPF command would be used to advertise only the 172.16.1.0 network to neighbors?

The command that advertises only the 172.16.1.0 network to neighbors is explicitly tailored to match that specific network and its subnet mask. In the context of OSPF (Open Shortest Path First) configuration, the command used in the correct answer specifies the desired network along with an appropriate wildcard mask.

In this case, the specified command uses the address 172.16.1.0 and a wildcard mask of 0.0.0.255. The wildcard mask functions in OSPF to indicate which bits of the address should be considered relevant for matching and which can vary. A wildcard mask of 0.0.0.255 indicates that the first three octets (172.16.1) are fixed, while the last octet can be any value (0-255). This configuration precisely matches the 172.16.1.0/24 subnet, ensuring that only that specific network is included in OSPF advertisements.

This enables OSPF to efficiently manage routing updates and helps prevent unnecessary routing information from being sent to neighbors, keeping the routing tables clean and focused on relevant networks. Such precision is critical for maintaining optimal routing performance in a network.

In contrast, the other choices either