CORK INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

INSTITIID TEICNEOLAOCHTA CHORCA

Autumn Examinations 2015/16

Module Title: LAN Switching and Wireless

Module Code: COMP6020

School: Science & Informatics

Programme Titles: BSc (Hons) in Software Development & Computer Networking

Bachelor of Science in Computing
Higher Certificate in Computing
Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Support
Bachelor of Science in Info Technology Management

Programme Codes: KDNET_8_Y2

KCOMP_7_Y2
KCOME_6_Y2
KITMN_8_Y2
KITSP_7_Y2

External Examiner(s): I. Manning

Internal Examiner(s): O. Brickley

J. Sherwin

Instructions: Answer Question One and Any Two other questions

Duration: 2 hours

Sitting: Autumn 2016

Requirements for this examination:

Note to Candidates: Please check the Programme Title and the Module Title to ensure that you are
attempting the correct exaination.
If in doubt please contact an Invigilator.

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Q.1 Compulsory Question
a. List and describe the three layers of the hierarchical network model in switched
networks. (6 marks)
b. Redundancy in the network is necessary to ensure availability. Explain. (6 marks)
c. What is meant by bandwidth aggregation? (4 marks)
d. List five features of access layer switches. (5 marks)
e. A switch is a layer 2 device; why do we configure an IP address? (2 marks)
f. Describe three benefits of VLANs. (6 marks)
g. What is VTP? (3 marks)
h. Describe three issues that arise from the presence of a Layer 2 loop in a network.
(3 marks)
i. How does the STP select the root port on a switch? (3 marks)
j. Name two devices that will facilitate inter-vlan routing? (2 marks)

Q.2 VLANs & VTP

a. What problem does the IEEE802.1q protocol solve in switched networks?
(5 marks)
b. Explain with aid of a diagram how a PC and IP phone can share one switchport.
(10 marks)
c. Using an example, describe how VTP pruning can prevent unnecessary bandwidth
consumption in switched networks.
(10 marks)
d. There should always be at least one VTP server in each VTP domain. Explain.
(5 marks)

Q.3 Switching & Wireless

a. What is a collision domain? Describe the effect of switches on broadcast and
collision domains. (6 marks)
b. Illustrate and describe the hidden node problem in wireless networks. Describe how
is this problem addressed in the IEEE802.11 MAC function? (10 marks)
c. Security is a major consideration in wireless networks. Identify three security threats
for wireless networks. (6 marks)
d. Describe two types of attack that can occur on wireless networks. (8 marks)

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Q.4 Spanning Tree
a. In STP, the root bridge is elected based on the BID. Using an example, describe
this election process. (10 marks)
b. RSTP is designed for rapid convergence. Describe the proposal and agreement
process used to achieve this. (8 marks)
c. An administrator should decide which switch becomes the root bridge in a
network. Giving an example, show how the placement of the switch affects the
end user performance. How can the administrator control which switch becomes
the root? (12 marks)

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