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Question

Difficulty: EasyNetwork Hardware Devices

An administrator is setting up connectivity for several workstation computers located within a single department so they can communicate on the same local IP subnet. Which hardware device forwards network traffic between these local hosts based on destination MAC addresses?

  1. SwitchAnswer
  2. B
    Router
  3. C
    DHCP server
  4. D
    APIPA service

Answer

A network switch connects endpoints within the same local IP subnet and forwards frame traffic based on hardware MAC addresses.
A switch operates at Layer 2 of the OSI model, inspecting destination MAC addresses in received Ethernet frames to forward traffic strictly to the appropriate local destination port.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary network requirement
Devices need to communicate within the same local IP subnet using MAC addresses.
Intra-subnet local communication relies on Layer 2 data link layer processing.
2
Determine which network device functions at Layer 2 using MAC addresses
A network switch builds a MAC address table to forward Ethernet frames directly to target ports on the local segment.
Switches use MAC address tables for frame forwarding, whereas routers operate at Layer 3 using IP addresses to interconnect different networks.

Key Concept

Role of Network Switches in Local Ethernet Communication
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Topics

Network Hardware Devices

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