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Difficulty: Very hardTroubleshooting Methodology

A network technician is troubleshooting a workstation that lost access to internal network shares following an infrastructure upgrade. The technician interviewed the affected user, reviewed recent configuration changes, and established a theory that an incorrect VLAN tagging configuration on the managed access switch is preventing traffic from reaching the default gateway. According to the standard CompTIA troubleshooting methodology, which of the following actions should the technician perform NEXT?

  1. Log into the access switch CLI to inspect port VLAN assignments and verify whether the workstation's switchport is dropping tagged packets.Answer
  2. B
    Draft a formal change management request outlining the steps to reassign the switchport to the correct VLAN and apply the changes during off-peak hours.
  3. C
    Reconfigure the local DHCP server scope to update the DNS server addresses distributed to workstations on that subnet.
  4. D
    Deploy an unmanaged Layer 2 switch between the workstation and the wall jack to bridge traffic across the misconfigured VLAN subnets.

Answer

Log into the access switch CLI to inspect port VLAN assignments and verify whether the workstation's switchport is dropping tagged packets.
The correct action is to test the established theory to confirm the root cause before taking corrective action. Inspecting the switchport configuration in the switch CLI validates whether the VLAN assignment is indeed the source of the network isolation.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the current stage in the CompTIA 6-step troubleshooting methodology.
The technician has already identified the problem and established a theory of probable cause (VLAN tagging mismatch).
Determining the current phase dictates the immediate subsequent step required by standard protocol.
2
Determine the mandatory next step following theory establishment.
Step 3 of the CompTIA methodology is 'Test the theory to determine cause'.
A theory must be tested and confirmed before developing a plan of action or implementing changes.
3
Evaluate the choices to find the action that tests the theory.
Inspecting switchport settings via CLI directly confirms or disproves whether the VLAN configuration is causing the failure.
Diagnostic observation tests the hypothesis without jumping prematurely into change implementation.

Key Concept

CompTIA 6-Step Troubleshooting Methodology (Testing the Theory)
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Topics

Troubleshooting Methodology

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