Question

Difficulty: MediumNetwork Components Roles and Functions

A remote branch office requires a dedicated network device to route traffic between local department subnets, isolate broadcast domains, and establish an encrypted site-to-site IPsec tunnel to the main corporate data center. Which network component is designed to perform these combined operational functions?

  1. An enterprise routerAnswer
  2. B
    An unsegmented Layer 2 switch
  3. C
    A hosted Type 2 hypervisor
  4. D
    A Lightweight Access Point in Local mode

Answer

An enterprise router is designed to route traffic across distinct IP subnets, separate broadcast domains, and terminate site-to-site IPsec VPN connections.
The option specifying an enterprise router correctly identifies the device operating at Layer 3 capable of making forwarding decisions based on IP addresses, isolating broadcast domains on each interface, and providing WAN capabilities such as site-to-site IPsec VPN encryption.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the operational requirements stated in the scenario.
The device must perform inter-VLAN IP routing, separate broadcast domains, and terminate site-to-site IPsec VPN tunnels.
Identifying the required OSI layer operations (Layer 3 IP routing and security encapsulation) narrows down the appropriate hardware component.
2
Evaluate candidate network components against these requirements.
Routers operate at Layer 3, separating broadcast domains at each interface and routing IP packets while supporting WAN services like VPNs.
Layer 2 switches operate within a single broadcast domain per VLAN, Type 2 hypervisors manage VMs on top of an OS, and Local mode LAPs encapsulate wireless frames for a centralized WLC.

Key Concept

Network Component Roles (Routers vs Switches vs Access Points vs Hypervisors)
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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