Lesson 5: Switching and VLANs
Week of Tue, Oct 13 · lesson closes Mon, Oct 19
Take Meerk's quiz for Lesson 5
This lesson's items
Exact due times are in Canvas.
Watch — Professor Messer
Watch — Professor Messer: Switching (N10-009)
Free, independent educational resource. Not affiliated with or endorsed by CompTIA. Watch, then read the notes below.
Know these cold
- Switches forward frames based on destination MAC using a MAC address table. Switches flood unknown destinations, broadcast, and multicast.
- VLANs create logical broadcast domains on a physical switch. Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs using 802.1Q tagging. Access ports carry one VLAN.
- STP prevents loops by electing a Root Bridge and blocking redundant paths (RSTP is faster — reconverges in seconds vs. minutes).
Meerk's quiz — open the Lesson 5 gate
10 questions, no time limit. 85% on your first attempt in a 24-hour window opens the gate. Retakes inside the window are practice — they help you learn, they don't count. Work alone; the point is to know it, not to have seen it.
Dinner Table Question
Ask at home: Why would a company put Guest Wi-Fi on a separate VLAN from internal employee traffic?
En español: ¿Por qué una empresa pondría el Wi-Fi de invitados en una VLAN separada del tráfico interno de empleados?