Question

Difficulty: MediumNetwork Topologies and Types

A network engineer is designing a infrastructure layout for a new satellite clinic that connects to a main regional hospital. Workstations inside the clinic connect to central Ethernet switches in a local communications closet, while high-performance imaging servers require dedicated block-level storage over a Fibre Channel fabric. To reach the main hospital across town, the facility utilizes a leased point-to-multipoint service from a telecommunications provider. Which of the following statements correctly describe the topologies and network types implemented in this architecture? (Select TWO.)

  1. The workstation infrastructure utilizes a physical star topology where individual link outages are isolated to single connected hosts.Answer
  2. The dedicated imaging server storage infrastructure is classified as a Storage Area Network (SAN).Answer
  3. C
    Workstations assigned to different VLANs on the central access switches can communicate directly at Layer 2 without a router.
  4. D
    The leased connection spanning across the city to the main hospital is classified as a Campus Area Network (CAN).

Answer

The correct statements are that the workstation infrastructure uses a physical star topology where individual link outages affect only single nodes, and that the imaging server storage infrastructure is classified as a Storage Area Network (SAN).
The local network layout features a physical star topology where end devices independently attach to a central switch, containing cabling faults to single nodes. Additionally, the dedicated Fibre Channel network delivering block-level storage to servers is the definition of a Storage Area Network (SAN).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the local workstation cabling layout.
Connecting workstations to central Ethernet switches forms a physical star topology, which isolates physical media failures to individual devices.
Star topologies centralize node connections to a central device, preventing single point-of-failure line breaks from taking down the whole network.
2
Analyze the storage network architecture.
High-performance block-level access using Fibre Channel is defined as a Storage Area Network (SAN).
SANs provide dedicated high-speed block-level data access to consolidated storage resources separate from the general LAN.
3
Evaluate the VLAN and wide-area connectivity claims.
VLAN inter-communication requires Layer 3 processing, and city-spanning links represent MAN/WAN connections rather than CANs.
VLAN boundaries enforce Layer 2 isolation, and geographic networks crossing public rights-of-way fall under MAN or WAN classifications.

Key Concept

Physical Star Topologies and Storage Area Networks (SAN)
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