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Difficulty: Very hardNetwork Hardware Devices

A network technician is configuring network infrastructure for a branch office deployment. The location has 30 workstations and 30 VoIP IP phones, but only a single Cat 6 wall jack installed per work area. The network design requires three segregated broadcast domains (Voice, Workstations, and Management) with inter-VLAN routing performed directly inside the telecommunications closet to minimize bandwidth usage on the main perimeter router. Additionally, all IP phones must receive inline power directly through the network drops without requiring individual AC wall adapters. Which hardware deployment configuration best satisfies all specified requirements?

  1. Deploy a Layer 3 PoE managed switch in the telecommunications closet and connect each workstation to the secondary pass-through Ethernet port on its desk's IP phone.Answer
  2. B
    Deploy an unmanaged Layer 2 switch connected to a high-density patch panel, relying on APIPA addressing (169.254.0.0/16) to automatically isolate the separate broadcast domains.
  3. C
    Deploy a Layer 2 managed switch alongside a dedicated unmanaged switch for each workspace drop to route inter-VLAN traffic and supply power over the Ethernet runs.
  4. D
    Deploy an unmanaged switch with standalone inline PoE injectors for each port, using a DNS server to dynamically lease IP subnets and route VLAN traffic.

Answer

Deploying a Layer 3 PoE managed switch in the telecommunications closet while connecting workstations through the pass-through Ethernet ports on the IP phones.
The correct strategy uses a Layer 3 PoE managed switch combined with phone pass-through ports. Layer 3 switches support VLAN configuration (for segmenting Voice, Workstation, and Management traffic), built-in Power over Ethernet to power IP phones, and local inter-VLAN routing to route traffic between subnets directly in the closet. Connecting the workstation to the auxiliary port on the VoIP phone allows two devices to share a single physical Ethernet wall run.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze physical cabling limitations
Single Cat 6 drop per desk requires sharing the connection between the IP phone and the workstation.
VoIP IP phones typically include an internal two-port switch (pass-through port), allowing both devices to connect to the network over one physical Ethernet run.
2
Evaluate power and traffic segmentation requirements
Inline power requires Power over Ethernet (PoE), while traffic segmentation requires 802.1Q VLAN support.
A managed switch supporting PoE (802.3af/at) delivers power over standard twisted-pair cabling directly to the IP phones.
3
Determine inter-VLAN routing requirements
Layer 3 switching capability is required in the telecommunications closet.
Layer 3 managed switches operate at both Layer 2 (switching) and Layer 3 (routing), allowing inter-VLAN routing directly on the switch hardware without sending traffic to an external perimeter router.

Key Concept

Layer 3 Managed Switches with Power over Ethernet (PoE) and VLAN Daisy-Chaining
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Topics

Network Hardware Devices

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