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Question

Difficulty: EasyUtilizing Hardware Testers and Packet Analyzers

A network technician needs to perform a localized hardware diagnostic test on a workstation's network interface card (NIC) to verify that its physical transmission and reception circuitry are functioning correctly without connecting the host to an active network switch. Which tool should the technician plug directly into the Ethernet port to conduct this test?

  1. Loopback plugAnswer
  2. B
    Tone generator and probe
  3. C
    Time-Domain Reflectometer (TDR)
  4. D
    Packet analyzer

Answer

Loopback plug
A loopback plug connects the output (transmit) pins directly to the input (receive) pins on a network interface port. This enables self-testing of the adapter's physical hardware signaling and port integrity without requiring external network connectivity.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the diagnostic requirement
The test requires verifying physical transmission (Tx) and reception (Rx) functions of a local Ethernet port in isolation.
Determining hardware operational status requires a closed electrical signal path directly at the physical interface.
2
Evaluate hardware tester capabilities
Connecting a loopback plug routes the Tx pins back into the Rx pins of the same RJ-45 port.
This configuration allows diagnostic software or link indicator LEDs to confirm that physical port circuitry can send and receive electrical signals properly.

Key Concept

Utilizing Hardware Loopback Plugs for Interface Testing
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Topics

Utilizing Hardware Testers and Packet Analyzers

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