Which networking device operates at the Network Layer (Layer 3) to forward packets between different IP subnets and breaks broadcast domains?
Routers operate at Layer 3 (Network Layer). They inspect logical IP addresses, maintain routing tables, forward packets across distinct subnets, and by default do not forward broadcast frames, thus segmenting broadcast domains.
Which device or software operates across all layers of the OSI model to translate between entirely incompatible network protocol suites?
A Gateway (or protocol converter) can operate up through Layer 7 of the OSI model, translating data formats, signaling, and commands between entirely different network architectures.
Which of the following switching methods introduces the lowest latency by forwarding an Ethernet frame as soon as its destination MAC address (first 6 bytes) is read?
Cut-through switches begin forwarding the frame immediately after reading the 6-byte destination MAC address, minimizing latency though it does not verify the frame's CRC checksum before forwarding.
Which IEEE 802.11 access method uses a contention window and random backoff to reduce collisions among stations?
IEEE 802.11 uses Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance (CSMA/CA). Stations contend using an interframe space and a randomly selected backoff from a contention window.
Which switching method reads the entire frame into a memory buffer and verifies the Frame Check Sequence (FCS) CRC before forwarding?
Store-and-Forward switching receives the complete frame, verifies its CRC checksum to discard damaged frames, and buffers data to accommodate different link speeds.