Guide Network+ to Networks, 4th Edition
Solutions 5 1
Network+ Guide to Networks, 4th Edition
Chapter 5 Solutions
Review Questions
1. If you purchase a new desktop computer today, what type of expansion board NIC is
it most likely to contain?
b. PCI
2. Which of the following statements best describes the data transfer capabilities of a new
ExpressCard NIC compared to the fastest USB-connected NIC?
c. The ExpressCard NIC can transfer data at approximately the same rate as the
fastest USB-connected adapter.
3. Which two of the following IRQs could you probably assign to a NIC without causing
a conflict with preassigned devices?
c. 9
d. 11
4. You have just installed a new NIC on your desktop computer, which runs Windows
XP. When you reboot the machine, you discover that neither the sound card nor the NIC
is working. You suspect that they have chosen the same IRQ. How can you confirm your
suspicion?
a. Click Start, click My Computer, choose View System Information, click the
Hardware tab, click Device Manager, double-click Network adapter, select your
adapter, and select the Resources tab.
5. A certain computer on your Fast Ethernet network seems to be acting sluggish. After
ensuring the 10/100 Mbps NIC is not malfunctioning, you decide to find out whether its
configured to transfer data at 10 Mbps rather than 100 Mbps, as it should be. How could
you find this information and change it, if necessary?
d. by modifying the NICs EEPROM settings using its configuration utility
Note: Answer C, by modifying the NIC properties through the operating system, is also
acceptable, as this is possible on some systems.
6. Suppose you purchased an older, used computer from a friend that you plan to use as
a firewall on your home network. The computer comes with a 3Com NIC made in 1999,
and your friend has lost any documentation or disks that came with the computer. You
install a recent version of Red Hats Fedora Core on the computer, only to discover that
the operating system does not contain a device driver compatible with the computers
NIC. What is the first step you should take to fix the problem without replacing the
original NIC?
b. Search the 3Com Web site for a device driver for your NIC that is compatible
with
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Solutions 5 2
Linux.
7. Suppose your small office network has connected its computers to a single hub (A) for
years, but now you need to expand the network. You purchase another hub (B).
Assuming you use a straight-through (not a crossover) cable, what port on hub A will you
use to connect it to hub B?
a. any open port except the uplink port
8. Your manager has decided that she wants to see monthly traffic reports for all of the
five workgroup hubs in your office. The reports need to show maximum usage times and
highlight nodes that have the heaviest demands. What is the first step you take to make
this possible?
c. Make sure each hub is an intelligent hub.
9. You and a friend both decide to set up Fast Ethernet networks in your respective
houses to connect a half-dozen computers. Both of you will connect your networks
to high-speed Internet connections. As the connectivity device for end nodes, you
purchase a router, whereas your friend purchases a 12-port hub. Which of the following
will your network do that your friends network wont do?
a. Filter traffic based on IP address.
10. You are a network technician working on a 10BASE-T network. A coworker has
been having trouble logging on to the server and asks whether you can quickly tell her if
her workstations NIC is operating properly. You do not have the NICs utility disk on
hand, but you look at the back of her workstation and learn that although the NIC is
properly installed and connected to the network, somethings wrong with it. What might
you have seen that causes you to come to this conclusion?
d. None of its LEDs are lit.
11. You have decided to support wireless clients on your home network. Currently, you
have a router that connects to a hub that supports clients. The router also connects the rest
of the network to your Internet connection. To what device should you connect the access
point/bridge you purchased for the wireless part of your network?
c. either a or b will work
12. How do bridges keep track of whether they should forward or filter frames?
b. They maintain a filtering database that identifies which frames can be filtered
and which should be forwarded, based on their destination MAC address.
13. Which of the following is an advantage of using switches rather than hubs?
b. Switches can assign dedicated channels to certain nodes, making their
transmissions more secure.
14. In cut-through switching, which frame field does the switch never read?
c. frame check sequence
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15. You are asked to configure a backbone switch that connects servers supplying oceanic
and atmospheric data to mariners and pilots around the world. Your networks
traffic load is very high at all times, day and night. What type of switching do you
configure the switch to use?
b. store and forward switching
16. Suppose your companys network contains two separate VLANs. Computer A is on
the Customer Service VLAN and Computer B is on the Warehouse VLAN. Besides a
Layer 2 switch, what device is required for Computer A and Computer B to exchange
data?
a. router
17. Which of the following devices can act as a gateway?
d. all of the above
18. How do routing protocols and routable protocols differ?
c. Routable protocols can be interpreted by routers, and routing protocols assist
routers in communicating with other routers.
19. Why cant routers forward packets as quickly as bridges can?
b. Routers operate at Layer 3 of the OSI Model and, therefore, take more time to
interpret logical addressing information.
20. Your companys network currently runs only Ethernet 10BASE-T. You have been
charged with upgrading the network to Fast Ethernet. Your backbone switch and hubs are
already capable of running at 100 Mbps, with a small configuration change. What must
you do to make sure that everyones workstation can communicate over the Fast Ethernet
network?
b. Ensure that the NICs support Fast Ethernet transmission.
21. Which of the following routing protocols is used on the Internets backbone?
c. BGP
22. Why a is large, busy network more likely to use dynamic routing?
d. because dynamic routing automatically selects the most efficient route between
nodes, reducing the possibility for human error
23. A packet on a network using the RIP routing method has been passed from one
connectivity device to another fifteen times. What happens when it gets passed to
one more device?
a. It is discarded.
24. What is the main difference between a Layer 3 switch and a router?
b. A Layer 3 switch is optimized for fast data handling; a router is optimized for
accurate data delivery.
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25. At which layers of the OSI Model are gateways capable of functioning?
d. at all layers
Hands-On Projects
Project 5-1
In this project, students learn how to install a NIC on a Windows XP workstation.
Steps 1 7: Students remove existing NIC drivers via the System Properties dialog box.
Steps 8 9: Students physically install a new NIC in the computer and observe what
happens when the computer boots up.
Step 10: If the NIC is installed properly, its LEDs (typically, green and orange) will blink
to indicate that its receiving power and exchanging traffic on the network (if it is
connected to the network properly). Conversely, if no LEDs are lit, the NIC is not
installed or connected properly.
Project 5-2
In this project, students view CMOS settings for the NIC they installed in Project 5-1,
and then attempt to change the NICs IRQ assignment. (Because the keystroke
combinations for accessing the CMOS utility vary from computer to computer, you might
need to instruct students on how to access their workstations CMOS utility.) At the end
of the project, students reboot and discover whether their changes caused any problems.
In that case, students might need help resolving the IRQ conflict, either through the
Device Manager window in the System Properties dialog box or through the CMOS
utility.
Project 5-3
In this project students install drivers for the NIC they physically installed in Project 5-1.
Although the Windows XP OS will automatically install a driver for most NICs, its also
useful for students to learn how to install a new driver. Students should refer to pages
234-235 in the text for steps on installing NIC software. At the end of the project,
students should verify that their NIC is operating properly.
Project 5-4
In this project, students view IRQ settings in Windows XP via the Device Manager
window in the System Properties dialog box.
Project 5-5
In this project, students connect their workstations to a server using a hub. Several
students share a hub to form a small LAN. Therefore, all workstations should be
configured as part of the same workgroup.
Steps 1 2: Students set up the hub.
Steps 3 6: Students connect their workstations and a server to the hub.
Steps 7 12: Students verify that Client for Microsoft Networks is installed and bound to
their NICs before continuing. If not, students learn how to install this component.
Steps 13 19: Students assign names to their computers and identify the workgroup to
which the computers belong.
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Steps 20 22: Students log on to the network they have created and observe that data is
traveling through the hub.
Case Projects
Case Project 5-1
Even though a closet is full of new equipment, it might not be the right equipment for the
job, or it might not be installed correctly. Any of the following could be contributing to
poor performance:
All the hubs might be daisy-chained together rather than being directly connected
to the backbone or a switch; in a group of heavy users, this could take its toll on
the segment.
Since the hubs are expensive and new, chances are they are at least intelligent
hubs, if not switching hubs. And since the network manager admitted he had not
been keeping close tabs on the network, chances are someone installed the hubs
without optimizing their features. If the hubs are switching hubs, they can be
configured to separate the segment into several distinct segments and thereby
offer considerably better speed for the users. If they are at the very least intelligent
hubs, you can collect the data they gather to analyze traffic patterns.
Also the basic setup should be verified. If the hubs are 10/100 hubs, for example,
make sure they are set to use the same transmission speed that the network
cabling and model are designed to use.
Too many heavily-used workstations could be connected to one hub (leading to an
imbalance in traffic distribution).
As with any network segment, a bad NIC or cable may be causing excessive
collisions and dragging the rest of the network down. The student should suggest
looking for blinking collision lights on the hubs ports.
Case Project 5-2
Ports whose collision lights are blinking indicate that something is wrong with
either the hubs internal port or the NIC, cable, or configuration of the device
attached to that port. The student should follow the cable (or, if its labeled,
reading the label) and determine what node it connects. Once the node is found,
basic NIC troubleshooting can begin. Also, a troubleshooter could try a different
network cable or a different hub port.
Case Project 5-3
The student should explain that in addition to improving performance for certain
users on the LAN, switching can provide enhanced security because no other
nodes can intercept traffic between two switched nodes. As a solution, the student
might suggest using switches for connecting workstations from the finance or
insurance claims groups where sensitive data is passed between employees over
the network.
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Case Project 5-4
Small switches could be inserted into each of the telecommunications closets as a
replacement for the twenty hubs. Then, those switches could connect to multiple
smaller hubs IF distance kept the end node cabling from reaching the switches. Or
larger switches could be placed in the telecommunications closets and all end
node connections could terminate at a switch. For management, security, and
performance reasons, switches are far superior to hubs, so if sufficient switch
ports can be made available (that is, if the company can afford to do it), they
should be connected to end nodes.