TRB PG Assistant - Network Devices and VLANs - routers, switches, backbone networks, virtual LANs One Line Questions & Answers

1. What is the primary difference between a bridge and a switch? — A bridge connects only two network segments, while a switch can connect many.

2. What is the main difference between a Layer 2 switch and a Layer 3 switch? — A Layer 2 switch operates only at the Data Link layer, while a Layer 3 switch can perform routing functions at the Network layer.

3. What is the purpose of a 'trunk' in the context of VLANs? — A link between switches (or a switch and a router) that carries traffic for multiple VLANs, typically using tagging.

4. What is a Virtual LAN (VLAN)? — A logical grouping of network devices that are not necessarily on the same physical network segment but can communicate as if they were

5. What is the purpose of a 'virtual interface' in the context of VLANs and routing? — A logical interface on a router or Layer 3 switch that represents a specific VLAN and allows for routing between VLANs.

6. A backbone network is best described as: — A high-speed network infrastructure that connects multiple LANs or other backbone networks

7. What is the main advantage of using a switch over a hub? — A switch creates collision domains for each port, reducing collisions, while a hub creates a single collision domain for all devices.

8. What is the term for a network segment that connects different switches and routers, often carrying traffic for multiple VLANs? — Trunk Link

9. Which of the following is a common method for implementing VLANs? — Configuring ports on a switch to belong to specific VLANs

10. What is the term for a network topology where multiple switches are interconnected to form a high-speed network fabric? — Backbone Network

11. How do switches help reduce network congestion compared to hubs? — By creating separate collision domains for each port and forwarding traffic only to the intended destination port.

12. How does VLAN hopping occur? — By exploiting vulnerabilities in switch configurations, allowing a device to send traffic to a VLAN it's not supposed to access.

13. How do routers connect different networks? — By using IP addresses to forward packets

14. Which of the following best describes a 'distribution layer' in a hierarchical network design? — Aggregates traffic from the access layer and provides policy-based connectivity to the core.

15. A 'collision domain' is an area in a network where: — Data collisions can occur if two devices transmit simultaneously.

16. A 'distribution layer' switch typically connects to: — Access layer switches and the core layer.

17. In a hierarchical network design, the 'access layer' is primarily responsible for: — Connecting end-user devices to the network and enforcing access policies.

18. A device that connects multiple LANs and forwards traffic based on IP addresses is a: — Router

19. Which network device is most likely to be used to connect a corporate network to the internet service provider's network? — Router

20. Which network device is primarily responsible for connecting different IP subnets? — Router

21. Which network device is essential for connecting two or more different IP networks and determining the best path for data packets? — Router

22. VLAN tagging, such as IEEE 802.1Q, is used to: — Identify which VLAN a frame belongs to when traversing trunk links

23. Which of the following is a benefit of segmenting a large network into smaller VLANs? — Improved security and reduced broadcast traffic

24. Which of the following is a benefit of using a backbone network design? — Improved scalability and fault tolerance.

25. Which of the following is a key advantage of using VLANs for network segmentation? — Improved performance by reducing broadcast traffic and allowing for granular security policies.

26. VLANs improve network performance by: —

27. How does a switch handle traffic destined for a device whose MAC address is not yet in its MAC address table? — It broadcasts the frame to all ports except the one it arrived on.

28. What happens to a frame on a switch if the destination MAC address is unknown and the source port is not in a specific VLAN? — It is flooded to all ports in the same VLAN as the source port.

29. What is the role of a Layer 3 switch? — It can perform routing functions in addition to switching functions, operating at both Layer 2 and Layer 3.

30. What is a fundamental characteristic of a backbone network? — High bandwidth and low latency

31. What does a router use to make decisions about the best path to forward a packet? — Routing Table

32. A switch port configured as an 'access port' is typically assigned to: — A single VLAN.

33. Which OSI layer does a router primarily operate at? — Network Layer (Layer 3)

34. Which of the following is a common type of backbone network topology? — Tree

35. Which network device operates at the Data Link Layer (Layer 2) of the OSI model and is primarily used to connect multiple network segments and filter traffic based on MAC addresses? — Switch

36. Which device is responsible for learning the MAC addresses of devices connected to its ports? — Switch

37. Which network device operates at Layer 1 of the OSI model and simply regenerates and retransmits signals? — Repeater

38. Which statement accurately describes a router's function regarding broadcast domains? — Routers act as a boundary for broadcast domains; they do not forward broadcasts by default.

39. Which of the following is NOT a typical function of a router? — Learning MAC addresses of directly connected devices

40. When a switch receives a frame, it examines the destination MAC address and consults its: — MAC address table (CAM table)

41. What technology allows a single physical switch to be divided into multiple broadcast domains? — Virtual LAN (VLAN)

42. What is a 'core' in a backbone network context? — The central, high-speed network infrastructure that aggregates traffic from distribution layers

43. How are devices within the same VLAN able to communicate directly without a router? — They are treated as being on the same logical broadcast domain, allowing Layer 2 communication.

44. What is the role of the Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)? — To prevent loops in switched networks by blocking redundant paths.

45. What is the main purpose of configuring a trunk port on a switch? — To carry traffic for multiple VLANs between switches or between a switch and a router.

46. What is the purpose of a gateway in networking? — To connect two or more different types of networks, often translating protocols

47. What is the primary function of a router in a network? — To forward data packets between different networks based on IP addresses

48. What is the primary advantage of using a backbone network? — To provide high-speed connectivity and aggregate traffic from multiple lower-level networks

49. What is the primary function of a modem in a network context? — To translate digital signals to analog signals for transmission over phone lines and vice versa.

50. What is the role of a 'core layer' in a network architecture? — To aggregate traffic from the distribution layer and provide high-speed, reliable transport to the rest of the network.

Network Devices and VLANs - routers, switches, backbone networks, virtual LANs - One Line Questions