Question

Difficulty: EasySeparation of Control Plane and Data Plane

Match each network operation or traffic flow to its corresponding architectural plane.

  • Exchanging OSPF Link-State Advertisements (LSAs) and computing the shortest pathControl Plane
  • Performing ingress packet header inspection and ASIC-based switchingData Plane
  • Establishing an encrypted SSH session to configure device interfacesManagement Plane

Answer

Exchanging OSPF LSAs matches the Control Plane; Performing ASIC-based switching matches the Data Plane; Establishing an encrypted SSH session matches the Management Plane.
Network operations are separated into functional planes based on their purpose: the Control Plane handles routing logic and network state signaling (e.g., OSPF); the Data Plane processes and forwards transit user data via hardware (e.g., ASIC packet switching); and the Management Plane handles direct administrative interactions (e.g., SSH).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze OSPF neighbor interactions and path calculations.
Determined to be control traffic responsible for maintaining topology information.
Protocols that create and maintain routing tables operate within the Control Plane.
2
Analyze ASIC-based frame/packet switching.
Determined to be user payload handling performed directly in hardware forwarding tables.
Transit traffic forwarding decisions and encapsulation changes belong to the Data Plane.
3
Analyze device access via SSH.
Determined to be user-to-device management traffic.
Administrative access protocols used to control and configure network nodes belong to the Management Plane.

Key Concept

Functional Plane Separation (Control, Data, and Management Planes)
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