101 · Question #475

101 Question #475: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

The correct answer is D: Switch. A Layer 2 switch forwards frames based on MAC addresses and does not require IP addresses on its data plane interfaces, unlike Layer 3 devices.

Question

Which device type in the topology will forward network packets without an OSI layer 3 address assigned to a data plane interface?

Exhibit

Options

ARouter
BFirewall
CApplication Server
DSwitch

Explanation

A Layer 2 switch forwards frames based on MAC addresses and does not require IP addresses on its data plane interfaces, unlike Layer 3 devices.

Common mistakes.

A. A router operates at Layer 3 and requires IP addresses on each data plane interface to route packets between different networks.
B. A firewall performs stateful inspection at Layer 3 and above and requires IP addresses on its interfaces to filter and forward traffic.
C. An application server is an end-host that must have a Layer 3 IP address assigned to participate in network communication.

Concept tested. OSI Layer 2 switching vs Layer 3 forwarding

Reference. https://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/tech/lan-switching/index.html

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