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Interview Questions > Networking > Flashcards

Networking Flashcards

1
Q

What is a link?

A

Connection between two devices.

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2
Q

List the OSI layers

A

Physical, data link, network, transportation, session, presentation, application

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3
Q

What is a backbone network?

A

Centralized infrastructure that distributes routes.

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4
Q

What is a LAN?

A

Local Area Network. A layer 2 Network.

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5
Q

What is a node?

A

Any device where two connections take place.

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6
Q

What are routers?

A

Layer 3 capable Network devices that connect layer 2 networks.

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7
Q

What’s is a point to point link?

A

A connection between two hosts.

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8
Q

What is anonymous FTP?

A

Anonymous file transfer protocol. Grants users access to files in public servers.

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9
Q

What is a subnet mask?

A

A 32 bit address that defines the beginning and end of a network.

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10
Q

Maximum Ethernet cable length?

A

100 meters.

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11
Q

What is data encapsulation?

A

Breaks data into manageable chunks to be sent across networks. Also adds source and destination data info into the data.

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12
Q

What is a network topology?

A

A physical/logical map of a network.

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13
Q

What is a VPN?

A

Virtual private network. Allows a secure, encrypted connection into a remote network.

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14
Q

What is NAT?

A

Network address translation. Allows multiple hosts to share a single connection out to the internet.

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15
Q

What is the network layer responsible for?

A

Data routing. Routers operate here. Anything layer 3

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16
Q

What is RIP?

A

Routing information protocol. Shares routing table with other RIP devices. Determines routes via number of hops. The entire routing table is sent to neighbors every 30 seconds.

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17
Q

What is a WAN?

A

Wide area network. A layer three network that is often used to route between layer 2 networks.

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18
Q

What are the TCP/IP layers?

A

Network layer, internet layer, transport layer and application layer

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19
Q

What does the session layer do?

A

Allows two protocols to speak with each other, by creating a “session”.

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20
Q

What is a MAC?

A

Media Access Control. A physical address made up of 6 hexadecimal bits. Divided up among vendors.

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21
Q

What does 10Base-t mean?

A

10 Mbps, base band, twisted pair.

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22
Q

What is a private IP address?

A

IP used for Intranet connections–unable to be used on the enter without NAT or PAT.

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23
Q

What is a NOS?

A

Network operating system. Allows a computer to connect with other devices.

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24
Q

What is DoS?

A

Denial of service attack.

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25
Q

What does OSI stand for?

A

Open systems interconnect

26
Q

What is OSPF?

A

Open shortest path first is a link-state routing protocol that uses path cost to determine the best routes. Routing tables are updated and shared within each area, and summarized at each border. All areas must connect to the backbone.

27
Q

What are firewalls?

A

Firewalls are security devices installed at the edge of a network which use ACLs to limit which ports and IPs are allowed into and out of a network. Newer firewalls can also filter based on application.

28
Q

What is a star topology?

A

A star topology consists of a central hub connected to multiple hosts. It’s main disadvantage is a single pint of failure

29
Q

What are some private network?

A

10.0.0.0 255.0.0.0, 172.16.0.0 255.254.0.0, 192.168.0.0 255.255.0.0

30
Q

What is a tracert?

A

A trace route. Shows the number of hops taken to reach an address, and their IPs.

31
Q

What are hybrid networks?

A

A network that uses client-server and peer-peer architecture.

32
Q

What is DHCP?

A

Dynamic host configuration protocol. Allows a client to pull and IP and gateway automatically from a server.

33
Q

What does ARP do?

A

ARP matches IP addresses with MAC addresses for layer two communication.

34
Q

What is TCP/IP?

A

Transmission Control Protocol/internet protocol. Allows different types of computer networks to communicate with each other.

35
Q

Describe the TCP 3 way handshake and what it’s used for.

A

The three way handshake is used to establish a TCP session between two hosts. Client A sends a syn packet, client B responds with a syn-ack packet, and client C responds with an ack packet. The session is now established.

36
Q

Describe the DHCP handshake.

A

Host sends a discovery packet. The server receives it and responds with a offer packet. The host then sends a request packet to the server. The server responds with an ack packet and reserves. The host will now use the address, and the server will reserve the address.

37
Q

What does a default gateway do?

A

Allows layer 2 networks to reach other networks. Tells the switch, “if the destination address is not in your subnet, send it here.”

38
Q

What is ICMP?

A

Internet control message protocol, usually used as a ping. Tests network connectivity.

39
Q

What is a peer-peer network?

A

A network where hosts do not rely on a server, but pull information from each other.

40
Q

What is DNS?

A

Domain name system. Matches IP addresses with website names.

41
Q

What is the difference between a hub and a switch?

A

A hub has one collision domain. A switch supports microsegmentation, meaning each port is its own collision domain. Hubs are dumb devices and cannot support VLANs.

42
Q

What is a ring network?

A

A network consisting entirely of peer-peer connections. Introduces a single point of failure at every single link.

43
Q

What is SMTP?

A

Simple mail transfer protocol. Deals with email delivery.

44
Q

What is multicast routing?

A

A “targeted” broadcast that broadcasts data to a selected group of users.

45
Q

What is a mesh topology?

A

A topology where every device is directly connected to every other device. Allows fantastic redundancy but is not scalable.

46
Q

What is RSA?

A

Rivest-Shamir-Adleman algorithm. Used for encryption.

47
Q

What is HTTP?

A

Hyper text transfer protocol. Displays web content and uses port 80.

48
Q

What is HTTPS?

A

Secure HTTP. Uses SSL certificates to verify website authenticity, and provides a small amount of encryption. Uses port 443.

49
Q

What is FTP and what ports does it use?

A

File transfer protocol. Uses ports 20 and 21.

50
Q

What is SSH?

A

Secure shell. An encrypted protocol uses for device management. Runs on port 22.

51
Q

List some benefits of TCP.

A

Allows a session to be established before data is sent. Allows missed packets to be re-sent, and allows out-of-order packets to be arranged into the proper sequence.

52
Q

What is UDP?

A

User data gram protocol. UDP broadcasts into the dark, with low overhead. Great for streaming and VOIP.

53
Q

What is a proxy server?

A

A proxy server pulls and caches website info, so that a host connects with the server and not directly with a website. Allows security, enhanced anonymity and filtering fractures.

54
Q

What is a loopback address?

A

127.0.0.1 is the “loopback” address local on each host. Can be used to test network card functionality, and access some local programs.

55
Q

Single mode fiber vs. multi mode?

A

Single mode fiber can travel longer distances but is much more expensive than multi mode fiber.

56
Q

What is SNMP?

A

Simple network management protocol. Used by monitoring devices to pull information and even make changes to network devices.

57
Q

What is NAT?

A

Network address translation maps private IPs to public IPs so that host devices can communicate with the internet without a public IP of their own.

58
Q

What is PAT?

A

An extension of NAT, port address translation allows multiple hosts to share a single public IP at the same time by assigning a different source port for each host using the public IP. Also known as NAT overload.

59
Q

RIPv2 vs. RIP

A

RIPv2 is a classless routing protocol, meaning it sends subnet information along with its routes. Supports updates via multicast to the address of 224.0.0.9. Also supports authentication.

60
Q

What is EIGRP?

A

Enhanced interior gateway routing protocol. Cisco proprietary.in EIGRP, each router uses a copy of its neighbors routing table as reference. If a route to a network cannot be found, the router will query its neighbor, which will query a neighbor, and so on until a route is found. Best routes are found using a K value, a value derived form bandwidth and delay.

61
Q

Distance vector vs. link state routing protocols.

A

Distance vector protocols do not hold a full topology of the network, and route by “rumor”. They know a network is “x hops away in the direction of x router.” Link state protocols use a full topology of their network and determine their own best path.

62
Q

What are classfull addresses?

A

There are three IP ranges that each have a default subnet mask. When these default masks are used, it’s called classfull. When they are not, it’s called classless.

Interview Questions (2 decks)

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