A network engineer wants to segment the network into multiple broadcast domains.
Which of the following devices would allow for communication between the segments?
A.
Layer 2 switch B.
Layer 3 switch C.
Bridge D.
Load balancer.
B.
A network engineer wants to segment the network into multiple broadcast domains.
Which of the following devices would allow for communication between the segments?
A.
Layer 2 switch
B.
Layer 3 switch
C.
Bridge
D.
Load balancer.
B.
The correct answer is B. Layer 3 switch.
Segmenting a network into multiple broadcast domains is a common practice for managing network traffic and reducing the impact of network failures. Broadcast domains are created by limiting the scope of broadcast traffic to specific segments of the network. Devices within a broadcast domain can communicate with each other directly, but devices in different broadcast domains cannot communicate with each other without a device that can route traffic between the segments.
Layer 2 switches operate at the Data Link Layer of the OSI model and are primarily used to switch Ethernet frames between devices within the same broadcast domain. Layer 2 switches use MAC addresses to forward traffic to the correct destination device within the same broadcast domain. However, they cannot route traffic between different broadcast domains, so they would not be suitable for allowing communication between the segmented network.
Bridges operate at the Data Link Layer of the OSI model and are used to connect two separate network segments to create a single larger network. Bridges can learn the MAC addresses of devices on each segment and forward traffic between the segments based on the MAC address. However, like Layer 2 switches, bridges cannot route traffic between different broadcast domains, so they would not be suitable for allowing communication between the segmented network.
Load balancers are used to distribute network traffic across multiple servers to improve performance, availability, and scalability. Load balancers operate at the Application Layer of the OSI model and can balance traffic based on various factors such as server load, network congestion, and user location. While load balancers can help manage traffic within a single broadcast domain, they cannot route traffic between different broadcast domains, so they would not be suitable for allowing communication between the segmented network.
Layer 3 switches operate at the Network Layer of the OSI model and can perform both switching and routing functions. Layer 3 switches can create multiple VLANs, each with its own IP address range, to segment the network into multiple broadcast domains. Layer 3 switches can route traffic between different broadcast domains, allowing devices in different segments to communicate with each other. Therefore, a Layer 3 switch is the best device for allowing communication between the segments in a segmented network.