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Difficulty: MediumNetwork Components Roles and Functions

A network engineer is configuring a virtualized server that runs a bare-metal hypervisor. Multiple virtual machines (VMs) residing on the same host belong to different IP subnets. Which device or functional role is required to route traffic between these subnets while maintaining separate broadcast domains?

  1. A Layer 3 routing function (router or Layer 3 switch) that interconnects subnets and bounds broadcast trafficAnswer
  2. B
    A Type 2 hypervisor running inside a desktop operating system to bridge subnets across virtual ports
  3. C
    A Layer 2 virtual switch configuration, because standard Layer 2 switches inherently divide broadcast domains on each port
  4. D
    A Layer 2 discovery protocol (such as CDP or LLDP) agent to translate and forward packets using neighbor TLV data

Answer

A Layer 3 routing function (router or Layer 3 switch) that interconnects subnets and bounds broadcast traffic.
Inter-subnet traffic requires a Layer 3 device (router or L3 switch/vRouter). Layer 3 devices terminate Layer 2 broadcast domains, ensuring broadcast packets do not cross subnet boundaries while allowing unicast packets to be routed between different networks.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the requirement for inter-subnet communication and broadcast separation.
IP subnets represent separate Layer 3 networks, which require Layer 3 routing to forward packets between them.
Layer 2 switches only forward frames within the same broadcast domain (VLAN).
2
Evaluate the role of Layer 3 devices in broadcast domain management.
Routers and Layer 3 switches drop Layer 2 broadcast frames by default, creating boundaries for broadcast domains.
This prevents broadcast storms from traversing between distinct subnets.

Key Concept

Layer 3 Routing and Broadcast Domain Separation
Estimated Time:1m 30s
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Topics

Network Components Roles and Functions

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