Take 1

Rapid Remediation Notes (by question)

Q6 – Console cable

Correct: Rollover (console) cable

Must Know: RJ-45 ↔ DB-9, pinout is reversed end-to-end; used to reach router/switch CLI via console.

Memory Trick: “Roll over to the console.”

Common Confusion:

Crossover = device↔device Ethernet;

Straight-through = host↔switch; RG-6 = coax.

Q13 – Traffic directions

Correct: North (exiting the DC); South (entering); East/West (inside DC).

Exam Tip: If it crosses the perimeter device (FW/router) → North/South. Inside only → East/West.

Memory Trick: North = up/out, South = down/in.

Q14 – Fast switch swap

Correct: Configuration backup

Must Know: Swap spare switch → restore saved config → instant parity.

Common Question: MTTR depends on having backups + spares.

Q17 – Anomaly alerting

Correct: Streamlined analysis of security logs

Must Know: Alerts bubble up weird patterns so analysts don’t sift raw logs first.

Q21 – Loop prevention (Layer 2)

Correct: 802.1D (STP)

Must Know: STP/RSTP stop L2 loops; 802.1Q = VLAN tagging; RIP/OSPF handle L3 routing (use split horizon, poisoning—not L2 loops).

Memory Trick: D = “Don’t loop” (STP). Q = “VLAN tag.”

Q23 – OSI travel down the stack

Correct: Encapsulation (L7→L1)

Must Know: Sender = encapsulate; Receiver = de-encapsulate. Tunneling is separate concept; Tagging is 802.1Q at L2.

Q24 – Survive disasters

Correct: Hot site / Cold site

Must Know: Only option that keeps the business running if the building is lost.

Q27 – Monitor + block at gateway

Correct: Firewall on external interface + NIPS on internal interface

Must Know: Firewall takes the inbound beating; NIPS inspects/blocks content entering LAN and outbound as needed.

Exam Tip: Don’t put NIPS on the raw internet side (risk “fail open”).

Q30 – Port for Fast Ethernet device

Correct: 100 Mb/s full-duplex

Must Know: Avoid auto-negotiation gotchas in mixed environments on the exam.

Q35 – Microsecond sync

Correct: PTP (IEEE 1588)

Must Know: NTP = ms-level; PTP = μs-level.

Q38 – Control bandwidth use

Correct: Traffic shaping

Must Know: Prioritize/delay classes; not the same as load balancing/HA/fault tolerance.

Q41 – Radar compliance (DFS/TPC)

Correct: 802.11h

Must Know: DFS/TPC features (think 5 GHz radar coexistence).

Q42 – Syslog severity: error

Correct: Level 3

Must Know (0–7): 0-Emerg, 1-Alert, 2-Crit, 3-Err, 4-Warn, 5-Notice, 6-Info, 7-Debug.

Memory Trick: “Every Alert Can Error While Notices Inform Debugging” (0→7).

Q49 – Bond links for speed + resiliency

Correct: LACP (802.3ad)

Must Know: LLDP = discovery, LDAP = directory, L2TP = tunneling.

Q50 – Evening Wi-Fi slowdowns

Correct: Signal degradation (channel crowding/medium contention)

Must Know: Peak-time contention + co-channel interference = weaker effective SNR/throughput.

Q51 – Auto-propagate VLANs

Correct: VTP

Must Know: Centralize VLAN adds/changes across a VTP domain. STP = loop-free tree; bonding = bandwidth; IGRP = routing.

Q52 – 4 hours to fix device

Correct: MTTR

Must Know: MTBF = between failures; RTO = time goal to restore service; RPO = allowable data loss.

Q59 – Link cut didn’t re-route

Correct: Static routing

Must Know: Dynamic protocols would reconverge automatically.

Q60 – Kerberos special sauce

Correct: Tickets

Must Know: Kerberos = KDC/TGS, time-based tickets; RADIUS/Diameter ≠ ticket model.

Q62 – Windows path tool

Correct: tracert (Windows) vs traceroute (Linux/macOS)

Must Know: ping = reachability RTT; ip = interface/route config (Linux).

Q68 – Default gateway redundancy

Correct: FHRP (HSRP/VRRP/GLBP)

Must Know: Creates a virtual gateway; seamless failover.

Q71 – 30 m copper limit at 40 Gb

Correct: Cat 8 (40 Gb up to 30 m; 10 Gb to 100 m)

Exam Tip: Cat6/6a do 10 Gb longer than Cat8’s 40 Gb spec.

Q73 – Wi-Fi name term

Correct (per item): ESSID

Reality check: SSID is the common term; ESSID is the 802.11 “extended service set” term spanning multiple APs. If the stem emphasizes multi-AP coverage, “ESSID” appears.

Q78 – Test T1 CSU/DSU interface

Correct: Loopback adapter

Must Know: Loops TX↔RX to validate the port and let carrier test to demarc.

Flashcards (one-liners)

Console cable → Rollover (RJ-45↔DB-9).
North/South vs East/West → Perimeter vs internal.
Fast swap switch → Config backup + spare.
Anomaly alerts → Faster log triage.
L2 loops → STP (802.1D).
L7→L1 → Encapsulation.
DR continuity site → Hot/Cold site.
Gateway protect/inspect → FW (outside) + NIPS (inside).
Fast Ethernet port → 100 Mb full-duplex.
μs sync → PTP.
Bandwidth control → Traffic shaping.
DFS/TPC radar → 802.11h.
Syslog “error” → Level 3.
Link aggregation → LACP.
Peak Wi-Fi slowdown → Channel contention.
VLAN propagation → VTP.
4-hour fix metric → MTTR.
No failover on cut → Static routing.
Kerberos → Tickets.
Windows traceroute → tracert.
Gateway redundancy → FHRP.
40 Gb @ 30 m → Cat 8.
Multi-AP Wi-Fi name → ESSID.
Test T1 CSU/DSU → Loopback plug.

10 Quick Check Questions (no answers shown)

Which STP standard accelerates convergence compared to 802.1D?
Which syslog level is “critical”?
In FHRP, what term describes the shared IP clients use?
What two placements satisfy “inspect content + block inbound floods” at a gateway?
Which 802.11 amendment introduced OFDMA and BSS coloring?
Which metric targets data loss tolerance in BC/DR?
What duplex/speed would you set for a legacy 10BASE-T device?
Which protocol bonds multiple switch ports into one logical channel automatically?
What Linux command is the counterpart to Windows tracert?
Which cable/conne