How to Locate Printer Switchport on a Network

A technician is configuring a printer for a client.

The technician connects the printer to the network, but is unsure how to determine its switchport.

Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to locate the switchport?

A.

Perform a DNS lookup on the server.

B.

Set up an SSH session to the desktop.

C.

Reference the ARP table in the router.

D.

Configure port security on the switch.

C.

The correct answer is C. Reference the ARP table in the router.

When a device is connected to a network, it sends out an Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) broadcast message to request the MAC address of the device it wants to communicate with. The device with the requested MAC address responds with its MAC address, and the requesting device creates an ARP table entry associating the IP address with the MAC address.

By referencing the ARP table in the router, the technician can determine the switchport to which the printer is connected. The ARP table contains a list of MAC addresses and their corresponding IP addresses, as well as the interface (switchport) on which the MAC address was learned. The technician can look for the MAC address of the printer in the ARP table and identify the corresponding switchport.

Performing a DNS lookup on the server (A) would not help in determining the switchport to which the printer is connected.

Setting up an SSH session to the desktop (B) would also not help in determining the switchport to which the printer is connected.

Configuring port security on the switch (D) would be premature and unnecessary until the technician knows which switchport the printer is connected to.