1. You have a key network administrator leave a company. Therefore, what does the company depend on to continue to use the network?

a) the user’s password

b) Active Directory

c) master network switch

d) network documentation

D) networking documentation

Explanation: To understand your LAN better, it helps to write down what its structure is—in other words, to document it. Network documentation is any information that helps describe, define, and otherwise explain how the network computers are connected physically and logically.

2. What is the most common central device used today to connect computers to a network?

a) hub

b) switch

c) SOHO router

d) VPN router

b) switch

Explanation: Hubs are considered legacy devices and have been replaced by switches. Switches allow multiple computers to connect together. The advantage of a switch over a hub is that it can handle several conversations at the same time.

3. What is the most common adapter or connector used to connect a computer to a wired network?

a) RG6

b) RG58

c) RJ45

d) RJ8

c) RJ45

RJ-45, which is associated with Ethernet networks, is the most common wired adapter by default and is found on virtually every computer these days. 

4. Which of the following does a switch use for increased performance?

a) simplex

b) half duplex

c) full duplex

d) sliding duplex

c) full duplex

Explanation: A switch switches very fast between multiple connections, which allow multiple computers to communicate at the same time. As a result, each client can send and receive at the same time (full duplex), which gives better performance. 

5. What do you use to isolate a group of computers within your organization?

a) WLAN

b) WAN

c) VLAN

d) Internet

c) VLAN

Explanation: A virtual LAN (VLAN) is a group of hosts with a common set of requirements that communicate as though they were connected together as normal on one switch, regardless of their physical location. A VLAN is implemented to segment a network, reduce collisions, organize the network, boost performance, and increase security.

6. What do you use to create VLANs

a) router

b) switch

c) firewall

d) proxy server

b) switch

Identifying Types of LANs

Explanation: Switches usually control the VLAN. Like subnetting, a VLAN compartmentalizes a network and can isolate traffic.

7. What zone is used to publish external websites for an organization?

a) intranet

b) exanet

c) internetwork

d) DMZ

d)DMZ

Section Reference: Getting to Know Perimeter Networks

Explanation: A perimeter network (also known as a demilitarized zone or DMZ) is a small network that is set up separately from a company’s private LAN and the Internet. It is called a perimeter network because it is usually on the edge of the LAN,

8. Which topology is the most redundant and the most expensive?

a) star

b) ring

c) mesh

d) bus

c) mesh

Section Reference: Identifying Network Topologies

Explanation: A network topology defines the physical connections of hosts in a computer network. With the mesh topology, every computer connects to every other computer. No central connecting device is needed. Since every computer connects to every other computer, it requires the most cabling, which increases the cost.

9. What standard describes CSMA/CD?

a) 801.2

b) 802.3

c) 802.5

d) 802.11

b) 802.3

Section Reference: Defining Ethernet Standards

Explanation: IEEE 802.3 defines carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD). Because computers on a default Ethernet LAN all share the same channel, CSMA/CD governs the way computers coexist with limited collisions.

10. What mechanism do wireless networks use to access the network?

a) CSMA/CD

b) CSMA/CA

c) token passing

d) polling

b) CSMA/CA

Section Reference: Defining Ethernet Standards

Explanation: If an organization uses wireless Ethernet, carrier sense multiple access with collision avoidance (CSMA/CA) is used.

11. What model promises the most processing power?

a) centralized computing

b) distributive computing

c) switching computing

d) dumb computing

b) distributive computing

Section Reference: Identifying the Differences between Client/Server and Peer-to-Peer Distributed Networks

Explanation: During the days of the mainframe, all devices that connected to the one super computer were known as terminals (or dumb terminals). Today’s computing is known as distributive computing and is used for both client/server and peer-to-peer networks. This means that every device or workstation has its own processing power.

12. Which model users a central database for authentication?

a) peer-to-peer

b) workgroup

c) client/server

d) distributive

c) client/server

Section Reference: Defining the Client/Server Model

Explanation: The client/server model is an architecture that distributes applications between servers such as Windows Server 2008 and client computers such as Windows 7 or Windows Vista machines. It also distributes the necessary processing power. This is extremely common in today’s LANs and with most applications an average user would utilize when connecting to the Internet.

13. What type of server does Active Director run on?

a) file server

b) print server

c) database server

d) network controller

d) network controller

Section Reference: Defining the Client/Server Model

Explanation: A controlling server, such as a Microsoft domain controller, is in charge of user accounts, computer accounts, network time, and the general well-being of an entire domain of computers and users.

14. Which model has each host have their own security database?

a) peer-to-peer

b) client/server

c) distributive

d) sliding

a) peer-to-peer

Defining the Peer-to-Peer ModelExplanation: Peer-to-peer networking means that each computer is treated as an equal—meaning, each computer has an equal ability to serve and to access data, just like any other computer on the network. Each computer also has its own security database.

15. What type of communication is sent to a single designated host?

a) unicast

b) broadcast

c) multicast

d) anycast

a) unicast

Unicast describes the situation in which information is sent to one host only. This reduces network traffic greatly, and helps with packet loss and duplicates.

16. What is used to uniquely identify a host on a TCP/IP network?

a) IP address

b) MAC address

c) bit pattern

d) router name

a) IP address

An IP address is the cornerstone of networking because it defines the computer or host you are working on. Today, every computer and many other devices have such an address. An IP address allows each computer to send and receive information in an orderly and efficient manner.

Answer: host

IP addresses are usually applied to your network adapter, but they can also be applied to other devices like switches, routers, and so on. A device or computer that has an IP address is a host.

18. What is the central device used in wireless LANs?

Answer: wireless access 

The wireless access point (WAP) acts as the central connecting device for the network. Today, such networks can consist of many types of devices other than traditional PCs, including smart phones, PDAs, tablet computers, and microcomputers.

19. What is the difference between a switch and a hub?

20. What command do you use to test the TCP/IP stack on a computer?

Answer: ping localhost (or ping 127.0.0.1 or ping loopback)