Viewing access-list contents: On a router, which command displays the full contents of all configured access lists so you can review entries and sequence numbers?

Difficulty: Easy

Correct Answer: show access-lists

Explanation:


Introduction / Context:
Troubleshooting packet filters requires verifying what is actually configured. Network operating systems provide show commands to list Access Control Entries (ACEs) within access lists, including standard, extended, and named variants. Selecting the correct command prevents guesswork and shortens outage windows.



Given Data / Assumptions:

  • We need a command to print all ACLs and their contents.
  • Platform/terminology is aligned with common IOS-style syntax.
  • We are not just checking whether an ACL is applied to an interface.


Concept / Approach:

The canonical command to view every configured access list and its ACEs is show access-lists (or the more specific show ip access-lists for IP ACLs). By contrast, interface-oriented show commands reveal application status but not the full ACE details of all ACLs.



Step-by-Step Solution:

Run show access-lists → displays all ACL names/numbers and entries.Optionally use show ip access-lists for IP-specific lists.Correlate with interface attachment using show ip interface if needed.


Verification / Alternative check:

Executing the command returns ordered ACEs; counters may show hit counts, aiding rule analysis and cleanup.



Why Other Options Are Wrong:

show all access-lists (A) is not valid syntax.

show ip interface (C) and show interface (D) focus on interface status; they do not dump all ACL contents.



Common Pitfalls:

Confusing “applied where” versus “what is inside”; forgetting that sequence numbers matter when inserting or deleting ACEs.



Final Answer:

show access-lists

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