Managed Switches and STP Quiz
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary function of a load balancer in a network?

  • To evenly distribute traffic across multiple devices in a cluster (correct)
  • To serve as the main router for the network
  • To direct traffic only to the core layer
  • To store data for backup purposes

Which of the following layers is NOT part of the three-tiered architecture?

  • Distribution layer
  • Branch layer (correct)
  • Core layer
  • Access layer

What type of traffic must leave the local segment to reach its destination?

  • Local traffic
  • East-west traffic
  • Bypass traffic
  • North-south traffic (correct)

What advantage is NOT associated with the spine-and-leaf architecture?

<p>Single point of failure (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did new technologies like virtualization impact east-west traffic in networks?

<p>They increased the latency in east-west traffic. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In a spine-and-leaf architecture, which statement accurately describes the connection between switches?

<p>Spine switches connect to leaf switches in a mesh topology. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which layer in a traditional three-tier architecture is responsible for connecting directly to hosts?

<p>Access layer (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a key benefit of collapsing the core and distribution layers in modern network architecture?

<p>Reduced expense and improved scalability (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) in a network?

<p>To prevent traffic loops in the network (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement distinguishes a managed switch from an unmanaged switch?

<p>Managed switches can be configured and have an IP address. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What type of switch can interpret layer 3 data and functions similarly to a router?

<p>Layer 3 switch (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential issue that arises with having multiple paths in a network?

<p>Traffic loops creating network instability (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does STP adapt to changes within a network?

<p>By recalculating paths to avoid loops (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In the context of switch path management, what does 'least cost path' refer to?

<p>The most efficient path selected by STP (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is false regarding unmanaged switches?

<p>They can manage redundant network paths. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What role does redundancy play in a network with multiple switches?

<p>It makes the network less vulnerable to hardware failures. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary characteristic of Software-Defined Networking (SDN)?

<p>Centralized approach to networking (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which plane in SDN is responsible for handling decision-making processes?

<p>Control plane (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the Infrastructure plane in SDN consist of?

<p>Physical and virtual devices for messaging (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is disaggregation in the context of SDN?

<p>Separating functions of network devices into layers (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does the Application plane interact with other components in SDN?

<p>It uses APIs to communicate with network applications (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which plane could the Management plane be considered a part of?

<p>Control plane (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the function of the Control plane in SDN?

<p>To make decisions about data flow (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which layer is responsible for sending and receiving messages in SDN?

<p>Infrastructure plane (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is iSCSI primarily used for in networking?

<p>Working on twisted-pair Ethernet networks. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which type of hypervisor runs directly on the hardware without an operating system?

<p>Type 1 hypervisor (A), Bare-metal hypervisor (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic that can be customized when creating a VM?

<p>Network protocols (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does a hypervisor manage in relation to virtual machines?

<p>Resource allocation and sharing (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes a guest in a virtualization context?

<p>It is a virtual machine operating within a host system. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between Type 1 and Type 2 hypervisors?

<p>Type 2 hypervisors are applications running on a host OS. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following statements is true regarding iSCSI and FC?

<p>iSCSI works on standard Ethernet and does not need special hardware. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

When configuring a VM within a hypervisor, which of the following factors is NOT typically adjustable?

<p>Amount of available bandwidth (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of a vNIC in a virtual machine?

<p>Facilitates communication between the VM and other machines (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What does the hypervisor create when a vNIC is selected for a VM?

<p>A connection between the VM and the host (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In bridged mode, how does a vNIC obtain its IP address?

<p>Via a DHCP server on the physical LAN (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes NAT mode for a vNIC?

<p>The hypervisor acts as the DHCP server providing IP addressing information (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do multiple virtual switches operate in a host environment?

<p>They are managed and controlled by the hypervisor (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a key characteristic of a vNIC operating at the Data Link layer?

<p>It facilitates the transfer of data frames over the network (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What determines the maximum number of vNICs a VM can have?

<p>Limits imposed by the hypervisor (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to a VM's visibility on the network when it operates in bridged mode?

<p>It appears as just another client or server on the LAN (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a characteristic of host-only mode in virtual networks?

<p>VMs can exchange data with each other and the host. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT an advantage of virtualization?

<p>Compromised performance. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to vNICs in host-only networks?

<p>They can only talk to other VMs on the same host. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which statement reflects a disadvantage of virtualization?

<p>Increased complexity in management. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

In what scenario do vNICs in bridged mode operate?

<p>They access the physical network directly. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is a pros of virtualization?

<p>Efficient resource management. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a potential effect of a single point of failure in a virtualized environment?

<p>Complete downtime of applications. (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Which is a disadvantage of virtualization relating to costs?

<p>Increases licensing costs. (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

Flashcards

Unmanaged Switch

A switch with limited configuration options, often plug-and-play and without an IP address.

Managed Switch

A switch that can be configured via a command line or web interface.

Layer 3 Switch

A switch that can process Layer 3 (network layer) data like a router.

Layer 4 Switch

A network switch capable of processing Layer 4 (transport layer) data.

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Redundancy in Networking

Providing multiple paths for data to travel through, improving network reliability.

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Switching Loops

Network errors created by multiple paths for data, causing data to loop and potentially overwhelm the network.

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Spanning Tree Protocol (STP)

A protocol used to prevent network loops by strategically blocking unnecessary connections.

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Least Cost Path

The most efficient data pathway calculated by STP.

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Load balancer

Distributes network traffic evenly across multiple devices, preventing overload.

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Three-tiered architecture

A hierarchical switch design in networks with access, distribution, and core layers.

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Access/Edge Layer

Network layer directly connecting devices to the network.

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Distribution/Aggregation Layer

A redundant mesh layer connecting the access layer to the core layer.

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Core Layer

High-performance network layer supporting backbone traffic; switches and routers.

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East-West traffic

Network traffic between devices within the same network segment.

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North-South traffic

Network traffic that leaves or enters a segment to reach its destination outside the segment.

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Spine-and-Leaf architecture

A network architecture that collapses the core and distribution layers into a single layer (spine) connecting to leaf switches.

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SDN (Software-Defined Networking)

A centralized networking approach that integrates all network devices into a single system.

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SDN Controller

The central component of an SDN network that manages all virtual and physical devices.

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Disaggregation (in SDN)

A type of abstraction used in SDN to separate network functions into different layers.

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Infrastructure Plane (Data Plane)

The layer in SDN responsible for receiving and sending network messages.

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Control Plane

The layer in SDN that handles decision-making processes for network management.

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Application Plane

The layer where the SDN controller communicates with network applications through APIs.

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Management Plane

The layer involved in network administration and control.

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Network Architecture Layers

Multiple layers that provide a more efficient flow of information across network resources.

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iSCSI

A protocol that allows SCSI commands to be sent over Ethernet networks using standard Ethernet NICs.

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FC (Fibre Channel)

A high-speed protocol specifically designed for storage area networks (SANs), requiring specialized hardware.

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SATA Cables

Connect a computer's hard drive to the motherboard, enabling data communication for storage.

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Virtualization

A technology that creates a virtual, or logical, version of hardware and software, allowing multiple operating systems to run on a single physical computer.

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Host

The physical computer that runs the hypervisor and hosts one or more virtual machines.

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Guest

A virtual machine running on top of a hypervisor, with its own operating system and resources.

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Hypervisor

Software that creates and manages virtual machines, allocating and sharing resources between the host and guest machines.

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Type 1 Hypervisor

A bare-metal hypervisor that is installed directly on the physical hardware before the host operating system.

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vNIC

A virtual network interface card (vNIC) allows a VM (virtual machine) to connect to other machines on a network. It operates at the Data Link layer.

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Virtual Switch (vSwitch)

A virtual switch acts as a central hub connecting VMs within a host. It allows VMs to communicate with each other and the outside network managed by the hypervisor.

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What's the difference between a vNIC and a vSwitch?

A vNIC is a virtual network interface card, allowing a single VM to connect to the network. A vSwitch is a software-based switch within a hypervisor, connecting multiple VMs and controlling their network traffic.

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Bridged Mode Networking

In bridged mode, a VM's vNIC directly accesses the physical network through the host's physical NIC, obtaining its own IP address and network settings.

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NAT Mode Networking

In NAT mode, the host acts as a NAT (Network Address Translation) device, allowing VMs to access the external network while hiding their internal IP addresses.

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What are the key differences between Bridged and NAT Mode?

Bridged mode connects the VM directly to the physical network, while NAT mode uses the host as a NAT device, shielding VM IP addresses. Bridged provides external visibility, while NAT provides security by hiding internal addresses.

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How does a VM obtain its IP address in bridged mode?

In bridged mode, a VM obtains its IP address, default gateway, and subnet mask from a DHCP server on the physical network.

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How does a VM obtain its IP address in NAT mode?

In NAT mode, a VM obtains its IP address from the host machine, which acts as a DHCP server, providing internal IP addresses.

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Bridged Mode

A network connection type where VMs access the physical network directly as if they were physical devices, allowing communication with nodes beyond the host.

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Host-only Mode

A network connection type where VMs on a single host can communicate with each other and the host, but not with nodes outside the host.

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Virtual Network

A software-defined network created within a virtualized environment, providing connectivity for VMs and isolated from the physical network.

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Virtual Network Interface Card (vNIC)

A software interface that simulates a physical network interface card, allowing VMs to connect to a network.

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Efficient Resource Use

A key advantage of virtualization, where multiple VMs can run on a single physical server, minimizing hardware requirements and cost.

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Cost and Energy Savings

Virtualization reduces hardware and energy consumption by consolidating workloads onto fewer physical servers.

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Fault and Threat Isolation

Virtualization enhances security by isolating VMs from each other, preventing a compromise in one VM from affecting others.

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Compromised Performance

A potential disadvantage of virtualization, where performance of VMs can be affected by resource contention or virtualization overhead.

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Study Notes

Managed Switches

  • An unmanaged switch offers plug-and-play functionality with basic configuration options.
  • It lacks an assigned IP address.
  • Managed switches are layer 2 devices.
  • Higher-layer switches include layer 3 switches, which function like routers by interpreting layer 3 data.
  • Layer 4 switches interpret layer 4 data.

Switch Path Management

  • Redundancy in network switching safeguards against hardware failures by allowing data to travel through multiple paths.
  • Traffic loops are a potential problem with multiple paths.
  • Spanning Tree Protocol (STP) prevents loops by calculating paths that avoid them and blocking unnecessary links.
  • STP adaptively modifies the network.
  • STP prioritizes the lowest-cost paths for maximum efficiency.

Switch Path Management (Continued)

  • Designated ports (DP) and root ports (RP) are components of switch path management, as seen in Figure 7-4.
  • BPDUs (Bridge Protocol Data Units) enable communication between switches in STP.
  • Security measures like BPDU guard, BPDU filter, and root guard are important for STP-enabled interfaces.
  • Newer technologies like RSTP (Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol), TRILL (Transparent Interconnection of Lots and Links), and SPB (Shortest Path Bridging) are used as replacements or enhancements to STP.
  • Some switch manufacturers optimize their STP implementations for efficiency.

Switch Port Security

  • Unused physical and virtual ports on switches and other network devices should be disabled until needed.
  • Commands like shutdown disable ports temporarily on Cisco, Huawei, and Arista devices.
  • switchport port-security is a Cisco command to secure switch access ports, functioning as MAC filtering.
  • MAC filtering protects against MAC flooding.
  • A layered security strategy, defense in depth, is crucial for comprehensive network security.

Hierarchical Design

  • Load balancers distribute network traffic evenly.
  • Cisco and other manufacturers use a three-tiered network architecture for switches.
  • The access layer (edge layer) connects to hosts directly.
  • The distribution layer (aggregation layer) is highly redundant to connect multilayer switches or routers.
  • The core layer contains efficient multilayer switches or routers that support the backbone traffic of the network.
  • Traffic within a network segment is called east-west traffic.
  • Network traffic that needs to leave or enter the local segment is called north-south traffic.
  • Figure 7-5 shows a three-tiered architecture, with optimized switches that perform different functions at each layer.
  • Newer technologies, such as virtualization, SDN, and cloud computing, have caused latency in east-west traffic, driving the need for a new method optimizing this kind of traffic.
  • Spine-and-leaf architecture collapses the core and distribution layers into one, while using a mesh topology.
  • This design enhances redundancy and scalability, reduces latency, and improves security.
  • Figure 7-8 depicts a two-layered architecture, improving efficiency in resource access.

Software-Defined Networking (SDN)

  • SDN is a centralized network approach that combines virtual and physical devices into a single system.
  • SDN uses disaggregation to abstract network device functions into different layers (planes).
  • Infrastructure plane handles data transmission.
  • The control plane manages decisions.
  • The application plane communicates with application using APIs.
  • The management plane is considered part of the control plane.
  • Figure 7-11 illustrates the SDN planes and their interactions.

Storage Area Network (SAN)

  • A storage area network (SAN) is made up of storage devices that communicate directly with other components and network devices.
  • Storage devices often contain multiple drives.
  • SANs use FC (Fibre Channel), FCoE (Fibre Channel over Ethernet) or iSCSI (Internet SCSI) or IB (InfiniBand) to perform data storage and access with maximum efficiency.
  • iSCSI uses IP networks, making it compatible with standard ethernet.
  • SANs generally connect to LAN, and use Figure 7-13, and Figure 7-15 diagrams.

Knowledge Check Activity 7-1

  • iSCSI is the SAN connection technology that runs over ordinary Ethernet NICs without any special equipment.

Virtual Architecture

  • Virtualization replicates something logically rather than physically.
  • A host computer runs virtual machines (VMs).
  • Guest VMs and hypervisors manage resources, like CPU, memory, and storage.
  • Two hypervisor types exist:
  • Type 1 (bare-metal): installed before any operating system.
  • Type 2 (hosted): installed as an application within a host operating system.
  • Figure 7-17 illustrates the difference between these two hypervisor types.
  • VM software and hardware attributes are assigned at creation.
  • Guest OS, Memory, Hard drive, and processor configurations are customizable.

Network Connection Types

  • Each VM has its own virtual network interface card (vNIC), connecting it to other devices.
  • vNICs operate at the Data Link layer.
  • The hypervisor determines the maximum number of vNICs.
  • Connections are sometimes called bridges or switches (vSwitch).
  • A single host can support multiple virtual switches.
  • VMs can connect to both physical or virtual networks determined by configuration.
  • Various connection modes exist, like bridged, NAT, and host-only modes.
  • Figure 7-21 shows configuration examples for a virtual switch.
  • Figure 7-23 shows VM and host using physical network for connection.
  • In bridged mode, VMs act as independent network nodes, obtaining IP addresses from the physical network.
  • In NAT mode, the host acts as a NAT device, redistributing IP addresses.
  • Host-only mode allows VM communication among themselves, but not to other parts of the network.

Pros and Cons of Virtualization

  • Advantages: Efficient resource usage, cost reduction, simpler backups/recovery, and isolation.
  • Disadvantages: Potential performance issues, added complexity, and higher licensing costs.

Network Functions Virtualization (NFV)

  • NFV virtualizes network functionalities by integrating hardware and software to provide flexible and cost-effective network architecture.
  • Virtual devices can be quickly migrated between servers.
  • Virtualization helps in utilizing resources and easily scaling services as needed.

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Week 6 ITM301 PDF

Description

Test your knowledge on managed switches, their functionality, and the essential concepts of Switch Path Management. This quiz explores redundancy, Spanning Tree Protocol (STP), and the roles of designated and root ports. Dive into the details of layer functionality and network efficiency!

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