A technician is troubleshooting a user's wired desktop that intermittently loses network connectivity for short periods (1-2 minutes) several times a day. During the outage, the link light on the NIC remains lit and continuous. The technician has already replaced the Ethernet cable and the NIC. The switch port is configured for auto-negotiation. Which of the following should the technician check NEXT?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Verify the switch port is configured for the correct VLAN.
Incorrect VLAN assignment typically causes complete loss of connectivity to certain networks, not intermittent short outages. The user can access the internet and internal resources, suggesting VLAN is correct.
Best answer
Check the network driver settings for duplex mismatch.
A duplex mismatch occurs when one device operates at full duplex and the other at half duplex. This can cause intermittent connectivity, high error rates, and performance degradation while the link remains up. Checking and forcing the correct duplex setting (or leaving both sides on auto) often resolves the issue.
Distractor review
Check the DNS server configuration on the computer.
DNS issues cause name resolution failures, not intermittent loss of connectivity. If the user can access resources by IP address during the outage, DNS is not the primary cause.
Distractor review
Disable the firewall to rule out a security issue.
A firewall typically blocks specific traffic consistently, not intermittently. Disabling the firewall is unlikely to resolve intermittent short-duration outages and would reduce security.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: an active trunk can still block the VLAN you need
A trunk being up does not prove every VLAN is crossing it. Check allowed VLAN lists, native VLAN mismatch, VLAN existence and access-port assignment.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
VLAN questions usually combine access-port and trunking clues. The key is to identify whether the issue is local to one switchport, caused by the trunk, or caused by the VLAN not existing where it needs to exist.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
- Trunk ports carry multiple VLANs between switches.
- Allowed VLAN lists decide which VLANs can cross a trunk.
- Native VLAN mismatch can create confusing symptoms.
TExam Day Tips
- Use show vlan brief to verify access VLANs.
- Use show interfaces trunk to verify trunk state and allowed VLANs.
- Do not treat every same-VLAN issue as a routing problem.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A user reports intermittent network connectivity on a desktop computer. The technician observes that the Ethernet link light on the NIC turns off for a few seconds and then turns back on. The cable passes a wiremap test, the switch port is verified good with another device, and the NIC driver is updated. The issue occurs more frequently when the computer's case fan runs at high speed. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
Question 2
A workstation is unable to connect to the internet. The technician runs the 'ipconfig' command and sees the IPv4 address is 169.254.15.200 with a subnet mask of 255.255.0.0. The workstation can ping other devices on the local subnet but cannot ping the default gateway or any external addresses. Which TWO actions should the technician take to resolve this issue? (Select two.)
Question 3
A workstation is connected to a managed switch. It obtains a valid IP address (192.168.10.50) from the DHCP server, but it cannot ping the default gateway (192.168.10.1). The link light on both the workstation NIC and the switch port are solid green. Other workstations on the same switch CAN ping the default gateway successfully. The technician accesses the switch management interface and finds that the workstation's port is configured as an access port on VLAN 10. The default gateway is located on VLAN 20. An inter-VLAN router is configured but not explicitly allowing VLAN 10 access to VLAN 20. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the problem?
Question 4
A company develops a web application that relies on a custom library available only for a specific Linux distribution. They want to deploy the application in the cloud with minimal administrative overhead, but they need full control over the software stack, including the ability to install the custom library and configure the web server. Which cloud service model BEST meets these requirements?
Question 5
A company has a legacy virtual machine running on a deprecated hypervisor (Hyper-V). They want to migrate this VM to a new hypervisor (VMware vSphere) hosted in a private cloud while preserving the VM's configuration, installed applications, and data. The migration must be performed with minimal downtime. Which of the following methods is MOST appropriate?
Question 6
A company hosts a critical database on a virtual machine in a public cloud. The database requires persistent storage that must be retained even if the VM is terminated. The storage must also be accessible from multiple VMs simultaneously for a future high-availability configuration. Which type of cloud storage BEST meets these requirements?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this 220-1101 question test?
Access ports place end devices into a single VLAN.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Check the network driver settings for duplex mismatch. — Intermittent connectivity with a steady link light often indicates a duplex mismatch. When one side is set to full duplex and the other to half duplex, or when auto-negotiation fails, it can cause collisions and frequent retransmissions leading to temporary loss of connectivity while the link light stays on. The technician should check the NIC driver settings to ensure it is not forced to a speed/duplex setting that conflicts with the switch port's auto-negotiated setting.
What should I do if I get this 220-1101 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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