Networking Fundamentals
Free CompTIA Network+ practice — 6 questions on Networking Fundamentals, with explanations. No sign-up. Full 12-question mixed test →
A network administrator has been given the network 192.168.10.0/24 and must divide it into at least 6 subnets while ensuring each subnet supports a minimum of 25 usable host addresses. Which subnet mask satisfies BOTH requirements with the least wasted address space?
A /27 mask borrows 3 bits from the host portion, creating 8 subnets (2^3), each with 30 usable hosts (2^5-2). This meets the requirement of at least 6 subnets and at least 25 hosts per subnet with minimal waste.
An interface on a workstation is automatically assigned an IPv6 address that always begins with the prefix FE80::/10. This address is usable only for communication with devices on the same local network segment and is not routable beyond that segment. Which IPv6 address type is being described?
Link-local addresses always use the FE80::/10 prefix, are automatically configured on every IPv6-enabled interface, and are confined to the local link — they are never forwarded by routers.
A mail administrator needs to configure a client so that users can access their mailbox over an encrypted connection while keeping messages synchronized across multiple devices, meaning messages remain on the server rather than being downloaded and removed. Which port should be configured on the client?
Port 993 is IMAP over SSL/TLS (IMAPS). IMAP keeps mail synchronized on the server and reflects read/unread status and folder structure across multiple devices, and port 993 provides this over an encrypted channel.
A company is designing a new data center fabric and requires low-latency, any-to-any connectivity between servers where the number of hops and latency remain consistent no matter which two leaf switches the communicating servers are attached to. Which topology BEST meets this requirement?
In a spine-leaf architecture, every leaf switch connects directly to every spine switch, so any server-to-server path always crosses exactly one spine, guaranteeing predictable, consistent low latency regardless of which leaf switches are involved.
In a Software-Defined Networking (SDN) architecture, which component is responsible for making network-wide forwarding decisions and programming flow tables into switches using a southbound API such as OpenFlow?
The SDN controller operates in the control plane, maintaining a centralized view of the network and pushing forwarding rules down to switches (the data plane) through a southbound API like OpenFlow.
A company is migrating a large, latency-sensitive on-premises database workload to a hybrid cloud model and needs a private, dedicated connection between its data center and its cloud VPC that avoids the public internet entirely and offers consistent, high bandwidth. Which solution BEST meets this requirement?
A dedicated cloud interconnect (such as a direct connect or express-route style private circuit) provides a private, dedicated physical or logical link between the on-premises network and the cloud VPC, bypassing the public internet and delivering predictable bandwidth and latency for demanding workloads.
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