Midterm

Question 1

IEEE standard 100BASE-T / 100BASE-TX (Fast Ethernet)
Max Throughput, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media, Pair of Wires Used for Transmission

Answer 1

Maximum throughput (Mbps): 100
Maximum distance per segment (m): 100
Physical media: Cat 5 or better (100BASE-T) / Cat 6 or better (100BASE-TX)
Pair of wires used for transmission: 2 pair

Question 2

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 7 UTP?

Answer 2

Maximum Speed: 10 Gbps (up to 100 meters)
Maximum Bandwidth: 600 MHz
Data centers and enterprise networks.

Question 3

What are the features of Internet Protocol (IP)?

Answer 3

IP belongs to the network layer of the OSI model and is responsible for addressing and routing data packets between devices across networks. IP has many key features including addressing, packetization, routing, connectionless protocol, best-effort delivery, and fragmentation and reassembly.

Question 4

What are the three types of fiber optic cabling?

Answer 4

Single-Mode Fiber (SMF), Multimode Fiber (MMF), and Plastic Optic Fiber (POF).

Question 5

What is a trunk port?

Answer 5

An interface that handles multiple VLANs.

Question 6

What is SIP?

Answer 6

Session Initial Protocol (SIP) is a common application layer protocol used to initiate, maintain, and terminate communication sessions over IP networks.

Question 7

What is the difference between firmware and hardware?

Answer 7

Firmware refers to the programs embedded into hardware devices. This software does not change unless a firmware update is performed. Hardware, however, refers to the physical components of a computer or other device, such as the CPU, memory, hard drive, and peripherals.

Question 8

Which protocols does the transport layer (layer 4) use?

Answer 8

TCP and UDP

Question 9

What are the pros and cons of virtualization?

Answer 9

The pros of virtualization include efficient use of resources, cost and energy savings, fault and threat isolation, and simple backups, recovery, and replication.

The cons of virtualization include compromised performance, increased complexity, increased licensing costs, and a single point of failure.

Question 10

What is the system life cycle?

Answer 10

The system life cycle is the process of designing, implementing, and maintaining an entire network. The system life cycle consists of the following life cycle phases: requirements analysis, design planning, development and testing, implementation, documentation and maintenance, and evaluation.

Question 11

What is scalability in clustering?

Answer 11

The ability to add more nodes to the cluster.

Question 12

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 8 UTP?

Answer 12

Maximum Speed: 25-40 Gbps (up to 30 meters)
Maximum Bandwidth: 2000 MHz
High-speed data centers and bandwidth-intensive applications.

Question 13

What is interference?

Answer 13

Noise that can disrupt network signal.

Question 14

What are some popular web server applications?

Answer 14

The most popular web server applications are Apache and Nginx, both of which are free and open source and run on Linux systems.

Question 15

Which layer of the OSI model is the transport layer and what does it do?

Answer 15

Layer 4 is responsible for transporting application layer payloads from one application to another. At the beginning of the payload, the TCP or UDP protocol adds a header identifying the port number of both the sender and receiver, through a process called encapsulation. If the message is too large, during encapsulation, the message is divided into segments (TCP) or datagrams (UDP).

Question 16

What is a Service Level Agreement?

Answer 16

A legally binding document or element of a contract that specifies in clear language and quantifiable terms the features of a service offered to a client.

Question 17

What is Post Office Protocol version 3?

Answer 17

POP3 downloads emails to the client and deletes them from the holding server, therefore does not allow synchronization across devices.

Question 18

What is encapsulation?

Answer 18

Encapsulation is the process of adding a header to the data inherited from the layer above, similar to putting a letter in an envelope. The transport layer header includes a port to identify the receiving application on the destination host.

Question 19

What is evaluation in the system life cycle?

Answer 19

As devices break down or improvements are needed, we perform a cost-benefit analysis to determine whether to discard, replace, or upgrade.

Question 20

What is a hub and spoke topology?

Answer 20

When one switch serves as a central hub, with one or more switches connected to this hub, the spokes. From here nodes may be added to each peripheral switch.

Question 21

What is documentation and maintenance in the system life cycle?

Answer 21

Apply effective monitoring techniques to detect and address problems and document our findings.

Question 22

What are the factors in IPv6 adoption?

Answer 22

Factors in IPv6 adoption include the exhaustion of IPv4 addresses and the improved performance and features of IPv6. However, the cost and complexity of adopting IPv6 makes the adoption process slow.

Question 23

What is a client to site VPN model?

Answer 23

Client-to-site VPNs require only the VPN headend to have a static public IP address. This type of VPN is typically associated with remote access, with each remote client required to either run VPN software to connect to the VPN headend, or establish a web-based, clientless VPN connection.

Question 24

What is crosstalk?

Answer 24

Crosstalk occurs when a signal traveling on one cable/wire infringes on the signal traveling over an adjacent cable/wire and is equal to a portion of the second line’s signal. A higher twist ratio, a plastic core, and proper termination help minimize crosstalk.

Question 25

IEEE standard 100BASE-SX (Fast Ethernet) Max Bandwidth, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media

Answer 25

Maximum transmission bandwidth (Mbps): 100 Maximum distance per segment(m): Up to 300 Physical media: MMF

Question 26

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 5 UTP?

Answer 26

Maximum Speed: 100 Mbps Maximum Bandwidth: 100 MHz Outdated for modern networks, but used in older Ethernet setups.

Question 27

What is implementation in the system life cycle?

Answer 27

Involves the deployment of new equipment to replace old equipment, and the continuance of testing.

Question 28

IEEE standard 802.11ac (Wi-Fi 5) Frequency Band, Max Theoretical Throughput, Geographical Range

Answer 28

Frequency band: 5 GHz Maximum theoretical throughput: Wave 1 (3 data streams): 1.3 Gbps, Wave 2 (4 data streams): 3.47 Gbps, Wave 3(8 data streams): 6.93 Gbps Geographical range: 70 m (indoor) or 250 m (outdoor)

Question 29

What is PPP and what features define it?

Answer 29

Point-to-point protocol is a data link protocol that establishes a direct connection between two nodes on a network, allowing for data to be transmitted between them. Key features of PPP include its ability to authenticate the identity of connecting devices, data compression, error detection, and its use of Link Control Protocols (LCPs) and Network Control Protocols (NCPs).

Question 30

IEEE standard 10GBASE-T (10-Gigabit Ethernet) Max Throughput, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media, Pair of Wired Used for Transmission

Answer 30

Maximum throughput (Mbps): 10,000 Maximum distance per segment (m): 100 Physical media: Cat 6a or Cat 7 (Cat 7 preferred) Pair of wires used for transmission: 4 pair

Question 31

Which layer of the OSI model is the data link layer and what does it do?

Answer 31

Layer 2. Uses protocols such as Ethernet or Wi-Fi. The entire data link layer message is called a frame, the frame header containing the hardware addresses (MAC addresses) of the source and destination NICs.

Question 32

What is requirements analysis in the system life cycle?

Answer 32

Identifies network requirements and business needs.

Question 33

IEEE standard 802.11n (Wi-Fi 4) Frequency Band, Max Theoretical Throughput, Geographical Range

Answer 33

Frequency band: 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz Maximum theoretical throughput: 600 Mbps Geographical range: 70 m (indoor) or 250 m (outdoor)

Question 34

What is redundancy in clustering?

Answer 34

Redundancy ensures that services continue to operate even in the event of hardware or software failure.

Question 35

IEEE standard 1000BASE-SX (Gigabit Ethernet) Max Bandwidth, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media

Answer 35

Maximum transmission bandwidth (Mbps): 1000 Maximum distance per segment(m): Up to 550 Physical media: MMF

Question 36

IEEE standard 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet) Max Throughput, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media, Pair of Wired Used for Transmission

Answer 36

Maximum throughput (Mbps): 1000 Maximum distance per segment (m): 100 Physical media: Cat 5 or better (Cat 5e preferred) Pair of wires used for transmission: 4 pair

Question 37

IEEE standard 40GBASE-T Max Throughput, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media, Pair of Wired Used for Transmission

Answer 37

Maximum throughput (Mbps): 40,000 Maximum distance per segment (m): 30 Physical Media: Cat 8 Pair of wires used for transmission: 4 pair

Question 38

IEEE standard 802.11b (Wi-Fi 1) Frequency Band, Max Theoretical Throughput, Geographical Range

Answer 38

Frequency band: 2.4 GHz Maximum theoretical throughput: 11 Mbps Geographical range: 100 m

Question 39

What are some common mail protocols?

Answer 39

Common mail protocols include Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3), Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), and MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions).

Question 40

What are the similarities between IPv4 and IPv6?

Answer 40

Both IPv4 and IPv6 are used to identify devices on a network and route data packets.

Question 41

IEEE standard 802.3af

Answer 41

(2003) Specifies a method for supplying electrical power over twisted-pair Ethernet connections known as PoE (Power over Ethernet). Provides 15.4 watts for standard PoE devices and 25.5 watts for PoE+ devices.

Question 42

IEEE standard 1000BASE-LX (Gigabit Ethernet) Max Bandwidth, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media

Answer 42

Maximum transmission bandwidth (Mbps): 1000 Maximum distance per segment(m): 550 for MMF, 5000 for SMF Physical media: MMF or SMF

Question 43

Which layer of the OSI model is the presentation layer and what does it do?

Answer 43

Layer 6. Translates data between the application layer and the network format. It handles data encryption and decryption, data compression, and data translation (converting from one format to another). It ensures that the application can read this data.

Question 44

What is the difference between a switch and a router?

Answer 44

A switch is used to connect multiple devices within the same network, allowing them to communicate with each other, while a router is used to connect different networks and direct data between them. Switches operate at the data link layer (layer 2), which routers operate at the network layer (layer 3).

Question 45

How does a domain name get resolved?

Answer 45

First the resolver on the client computer searches its DNS cache for a match. If it can’t find the information there, the resolver sends a DNS query to its local DNS name server. If the information is not found by the local name server, the local name server sends a query to a root server. The root server responds to the local name server with IP addresses of applicable TLD servers. The local name server then queries a TLD server, the TLD server responding with the IP address for the appropriate authoritative server. Then the local name server sends a query to this authoritative server. Once the authoritative DNS server resolves the domain name, it sends the IP address back to the local name server, the local name server then sends the IP address to the client resolver.

Question 46

What is a hybrid technology?

Answer 46

Is simply a combination of two or more basic topologies.

Question 47

What is attenuation?

Answer 47

A type of transmission flaw, the loss of a signal’s strength as it travels away from its source. To compensate for attenuation repeaters may be used to regenerate the signal.

Question 48

What information is contained in a MAC address?

Answer 48

A MAC address is embedded on every NIC on the globe and contains two parts: the OUI and the extension identifier or device ID. The OUI or Organizationally Unique Identifier is 24 bits long and identifies the NIC’s manufacturer. The device ID or extension identifier identifies the device itself.

Question 49

IEEE standard 2.5GBASE-T Max Throughput, Physical Media

Answer 49

Maximum transmission throughput (Mbps): 2500 Physical media: Cat 5e or better

Question 50

IEEE standard 10BASE-T Max Throughput, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media, Pair of Wired Used for Transmission

Answer 50

Maximum throughput (Mbps): 10 Maximum distance per segment (m): 100 Physical media: Cat 3 or better UDP Pair of wires used for transmission: 2 pair

Question 51

What is high availability in clustering?

Answer 51

High availability means that if one node fails, the other nodes in the cluster can take over, reducing downtime.

Question 52

What is the hierarchy of DNS Servers?

Answer 52

At the top of the hierarchy, we have root DNS servers. These servers respond to queries about top-level domains (TLDs). Below the root servers are TLD DNS servers which manage information about domains under a specific TLD (.com, .edu, .gov…). Under TLD servers are Authoritative DNS servers, which store and provide definitive answers for specific domain names.

Question 53

What is a wavelength mismatch?

Answer 53

A wavelength mismatch occurs when transmissions are optimized for one type of fiber-optic cable but sent over another type of cable.

Question 54

Which mail protocols retrieve email messages?

Answer 54

POP3 and IMAP

Question 55

What is Telnet? What does it do and what doesn't it do?

Answer 55

Telnet is a network protocol that allows a user to connect to a remote system and interact with it as if they were physically present. Telnet allows users to execute commands through a text-based interface, commonly to troubleshoot. However, Telnet does not provide encryption. This means that any data transmitted between the client and server is vulnerable. Because of this major limitation, Telnet has largely been replaced by more secure alternatives such as secure shell (SSH).

Question 56

What constitutes being highly available for a server?

Answer 56

A server that allows staff to log on and use its programs 99.999% of the time would be considered a highly available server.

Question 57

What is plastic optic fiber?

Answer 57

POF is used for short range applications and is flexible and cost-effective. However, POF has higher signal loss compared to glass fibers. With POF, the bend radius is generally larger due to its flexibility.

Question 58

IEEE standard 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) Frequency Band, Max Theoretical Throughput, Geographical Range

Answer 58

Frequency band: 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz or 6 GHz (Wi-Fi 6 and 6E only) Maximum theoretical throughput: 9.6 Gbps Geographical range: 70 m (indoor) or 250 m (outdoor)

Question 59

What is Internet Message Access Protocol?

Answer 59

IMAP retrieves emails from a server and keeps them stored on the server, ideal for accessing emails across multiple devices.

Question 60

What is the SaaS cloud service model?

Answer 60

Software as a Service (SaaS) delivers software applications to customers over the internet. These applications are accessible from a variety of devices and operating systems. An example would be Microsoft’s Office 365 or Google Docs. With SaaS, the vendor provides infrastructure, data storage, and application implementation, requiring the customer to provide only the device and browser software.

Question 61

What is a mesh topology?

Answer 61

When every device is connected to every other device, either fully or partially.

Question 62

IEEE standard 802.11g (Wi-Fi 3) Frequency Band, Max Theoretical Throughput, Geographical Range

Answer 62

Frequency band: 2.4 GHz Maximum theoretical throughput: 54 Mbps Geographical range: 100 m

Question 63

IEEE standard 10GBASE-LR (10-Gigabit Ethernet) Max Bandwidth, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media

Answer 63

Maximum transmission bandwidth (Mbps): 10,000 Maximum distance per segment(m): 10,000 Physical media: SMF

Question 64

What does a Service Level Agreement define for customer and provider?

Answer 64

An SLA typically details the service being offered, standards against which the service is measured (uptime, response time, resolution time), responsibilities of both the provider and customer, how service performance is evaluated, and penalties for failing to meet the agreed-upon service levels.

Question 65

What is Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions?

Answer 65

MIME simply extends the format of email to support the use of images, audio, and video, working alongside SMTP, POP3, and IMAP.

Question 66

What is clustering?

Answer 66

Clustering refers to the process of grouping multiple servers or devices together to work as a unified system. Key features include load balancing, high availability, scalability, and redundancy.

Question 67

IEEE standard 100BASE-FX (Fast Ethernet) Max Bandwidth, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media

Answer 67

Maximum transmission bandwidth (Mbps): 100 Maximum distance per segment(m): Up to 2000 Physical media: MMF

Question 68

What is the XaaS cloud service model?

Answer 68

Anything as a Service (XaaS), where the X represents an unknown, can provide any combination of functions depending on the client’s exact needs. This includes monitoring, storage, applications, and virtual desktops.

Question 69

What is design planning in the system life cycle?

Answer 69

Transforms big picture goals into detailed decisions.

Question 70

What is a network TAP and what does it do?

Answer 70

A hardware device used to monitor and analyze network traffic. It is placed between two network devices, such as switches, routers, or firewalls, to copy data packets passing through the connection without interrupting the network’s performance. The copied data is sent to a monitoring or analysis tool such as a packet sniffer, intrusion detection system, or network performance analyzer. TAPs are often used for network surveillance to detect malicious activities or troubleshooting.

Question 71

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 6a UTP?

Answer 71

Maximum Speed: 10 Gbps (up to 100 meters) Maximum Bandwidth: 500 MHz Enhanced for industrial and high-performance environments.

Question 72

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 3 UTP?

Answer 72

Maximum Speed: 10 Mbps Maximum Bandwidth: 16 MHz Used for older networks, telephone systems, and alarm systems.

Question 73

What is UDP?

Answer 73

User Datagram Protocol is a connectionless protocol.

Question 74

What is a type two hypervisor?

Answer 74

A type two hypervisor, also called a hosted hypervisor, installs as an application within a host OS. Type two hypervisors are less efficient than type one, as there is an additional layer, the host OS, between the hypervisor and the hardware. Examples include VirtualBox and VMware Player.

Question 75

How do you verify a TCP/IP is correctly configured and communicating with a network?

Answer 75

The most common way to verify that TCP/IP is properly communicating with the network is to perform a ping test.

Question 76

What is multimode fiber?

Answer 76

Multimode fiber contains a larger core, between 50 and 62.5 microns in diameter, over which many pulses of light generated by a laser or LED travel at various angles, resulting in greater attenuation. Due to this, MMF is not suitable for distances longer than a few kilometers.

Question 77

IF a network has 10 usable bits for the host, how many usable host addresses are available?

Answer 77

Each bit can have two possible values: 0 or 1. Because of this there are 1024 possible combinations (2^10 = 1024), however there are two reserved addresses in a network, therefore there are 1022 usable host addresses when 10 bits are available.

Question 78

What denotes a loopback IP address?

Answer 78

A loopback IP address can be used to determine whether TCP/IP services are running on a workstation. 127.0.0.1 is the most common loopback address.

Question 79

What is Simple Mail Transfer Protocol?

Answer 79

SMTP handles outgoing mail only and often includes encryption through SSL/TLS.

Question 80

What is single mode fiber?

Answer 80

SMF cabling contains a narrow core, around 9 microns in diameter, where laser-generated light travels over one path, reflecting little, resulting in high bandwidth and minimal signal loss. The typical bend radius for both SMF and MMF cabling is around 20 times the cable’s outer diameter while under tension during installation, and around 10 times the cable diameter after installation. SMF is suitable for long-distance communication.

Question 81

Which layer of the OSI model is the session layer and what does it do?

Answer 81

Layer 5. Manages the establishment, maintenance, and termination of communication sessions between applications. It describes how data is synced and recovered if messages don’t arrive intact at the receiving application.

Question 82

What is a ring topology?

Answer 82

Though rarely used today, consists of nodes arranged in a ring, with one node connecting only to its two neighboring nodes.

Question 83

IEEE standard 802.11a(Wi-Fi 2) Frequency Band, Max Theoretical Throughput, Geographical Range

Answer 83

Frequency band: 5 GHz Maximum theoretical throughput: 54 Mbps Geographical range: 50 m

Question 84

What are the differences between IPv4 and IPv6?

Answer 84

IPv4 has a 32-bit address allowing for about 4.3 billion addresses, while IPv6 has a 128-bit address allowing for virtually unlimited addresses. For IPv4, IPSec is optional, while IPSec is built into IPv6.

Question 85

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 5e UTP?

Answer 85

Maximum Speed: 1 Gbps Maximum Bandwidth: 100 MHz Most common for residential and small business networks.

Question 86

Is IPv6 classful or classless and why?

Answer 86

IPv6 is considered classless because it does not utilize the old classful addressing system used in IPv4, instead relying on the Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR) method which allows for flexible allocation of network prefixes based on prefix lengths, not predefined classes.

Question 87

What is the maximum speed and bandwidth, as well as typical use for Cat 6 UTP?

Answer 87

Maximum Speed: 1 Gbps (up to 100 meters) Maximum Bandwidth: 250 MHz Suitable for Gigabit Ethernet and small business networks.

Question 88

IEEE standard 5GBASE-T Max Throughput, Physical Media

Answer 88

Maximum transmission throughput (Mbps): 5000 Physical media: Cat 6 or better

Question 89

IEEE standard 10GBASE-SR (10-Gigabit Ethernet) Max Bandwidth, Max Distance per Segment, Physical Media

Answer 89

Maximum transmission bandwidth (Mbps): 10,000 Maximum distance per segment(m): Up to 300 Physical media: MMF

Question 90

Which layer of the OSI model is the physical layer and what does it do?

Answer 90

Layer 1. Deals with physical connections between devices such as between cables and switches, as well as the transmission of raw binary data via wired or wireless transmission.

Question 91

What is a type one hypervisor?

Answer 91

A type one hypervisor, also known as a bare-metal hypervisor, runs directly on the host machine’s hardware, without requiring an underlying operating system. A type one hypervisor relies on firmware to enable communication with the underlying hardware. Examples include VMware ESXI, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix Hypervisor.

Question 92

What is an API is and what role does it play in an OS call?

Answer 92

API stands for application programming interface and allows different software and hardware components to communicate and interact with each other. In an OS call, a request is made by a software application to the operating system to perform low level services, such as file management, process control, or network communication.

Question 93

How does a router create a broadcast domain boundary?

Answer 93

A broadcast message is read by every node on the network, meaning every node within a LAN. Devices operating within a LAN can send messages directly to each other without accessing a router. Because routers aren’t used to forward broadcast messages, they are said to create a domain boundary for the LAN.

Question 94

What is the PaaS cloud service model?

Answer 94

Platform as a Service (PaaS) offers a platform for developers to build, deploy, and manage applications. The infrastructure of any platform resides on the vendor’s hardware and is therefore managed by the vendor. The customer is responsible for their own applications and data storage.

Question 95

What is development and testing in the system life cycle?

Answer 95

Equipment is purchased and tested before deployment.

Question 96

What happens when there’s a network collision?

Answer 96

When a collision occurs, a jam signal is sent to notify other devices about the collision, then, each node waits a random amount of time before resending the transmission.

Question 97

Which layer of the OSI model uses IP, where routers usually function?

Answer 97

Layer 3—Network Layer

Question 98

Which layer of the OSI model is the network layer and what does it do?

Answer 98

Layer 3 is responsible for the delivery of packets between devices on different networks. IP adds a network layer header, identifying the IP addresses of both sending and receiving hosts, to a segment or datagram. The entire network layer message is called a packet.

Question 99

What is the IaaS cloud service model?

Answer 99

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) provides virtualized computing, resources such as virtual machines or storage. These services rely on the vendor’s network infrastructure, but customers are responsible for their own application installations, data management, and operating systems.

Question 100

What is routing protocol convergence time?

Answer 100

Convergence occurs when all routers have updated and synchronized their routing tables with accurate, consistent paths to all destinations. Routing protocol convergence time is simply the amount of time it takes for all routers within a network to agree on a consistent view of the network topology after a change or disruption (link failure, addition of a new router, or configuration change).

Question 101

Which layer of the OSI model is the application layer and what does it do?

Answer 101

Layer 7. The topmost layer of the OSI model and serves as an interface between the network and end-user. Data that is passed between applications or utility programs and the operating system is called a payload.

Question 102

What is load balancing in clustering?

Answer 102

Load balancing ensures that no single device becomes overwhelmed, distributing network traffic or computing tasks across multiple nodes in the cluster.

Question 103

What is a bus topology?

Answer 103

When devices are connected to a single central cable, the “bus.”

Question 104

What makes TCP a reliable delivery protocol?

Answer 104

TCP is a connection-oriented protocol as it establishes a connection with the end host, checks whether the data was received, and resends the data if it was not. This guaranteed delivery makes TCP a reliable delivery protocol.

Question 105

What is a site to site VPN model?

Answer 105

Site-to-site VPNs use tunnels to connect multiple sites on a WAN through VPN gateways, typically routers, firewalls, or remote access servers with VPN software installed. This type of VPN requires that each location has a static public IP address.

Question 106

What is a star topology?

Answer 106

When devices are connected to a central hub or switch, where the switch serves as a central point for all communication and each device has its own dedicated connection to the switch.