What metric components does EIGRP utilize during default metric calculation?

The correct response highlights the metrics used by EIGRP (Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol) for its default metric calculation. EIGRP primarily considers delay as one of its essential components.

Delay measures the time it takes for a packet to travel from the source to the destination across a network. It factors in all the intermediate devices a packet must traverse during transmission, thus providing EIGRP with a comprehensive understanding of the overall latency associated with each route.

While EIGRP does consider other metrics, such as bandwidth and load, the calculation of the default metric is particularly reliant on delay alongside bandwidth. Bandwidth typically contributes to determining the best path but is not the sole metric used for the default metric calculation in EIGRP. The overall operation of EIGRP relies on a combination of these metrics, but for the default metric calculation, delay plays a pivotal role in assessing the best route in terms of performance and responsiveness. That is why delay is the focal point in this question regarding EIGRP's default metrics.