Mid-Term Exam (Take-Home) Fall - 2020

Subject: Routing and Switching Submission Day: Saturday

Instructor: Ali Ahmad Siddiqui Submission Date: November 28th 2020
Program: BS(CS) Max. Marks: 25

Department of Faculty of Engineering and Computer Sciences

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1. Write your answers in a Word file and upload the file before the due date on BlackBoard.

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6. Follow the requirements of the word limit and the marking criteria while writing your
answers.

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examine, explain, modify or develop concepts discussed in class.

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may be checked through Turnitin.

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Page 1 of 9
Question #1 [05 Marks]
Create a spanning tree for the given topology. Label all ports with their status i.e. Root,
designated or block.
Note: Switch port numbers are labelled and STP link costs are shown in brackets

Switch MAC Addresses

SW1: a1b1
SW2: 23cd
SW3: 0012
SW4: 0a0b
SW5: 5a5b
SW6: 00ab
SW7: 11ab

Page 2 of 9
Solution:

As the priority of switches is not given, I am assuming all switches have same default priority. So,
by the MAC-Ids, SW6, becomes the root switch. Root Port means the port from which the root
node is nearest. In SW1, ports 1, 2 becomes root ports as from these ports the root node SW6 is
nearest.

Similarly, in SW2, port 3, 4 in Sw3, port, In Sw4, ports 3, 4, in Sw5 port l, 2, in Sw7, port 1, 2
becomes the root ports. All the remaining ports in spanning tree, will be designated ports

In Sw1, ports 3, 4, in Sw2, ports 1, 2, in Sw5, ports 5 in SW6, ports 1, 2, 3, 4, in SW7, port 3 will
become designated ports.

The ports which are not in spanning tree are blocked ports. i.e., in SW1, port 5, in SW2, port 5, 6.
In SW3, port l, 2, 3, 5. In sw4, port 1, 2, 4. in SW5 port 3, 4 will become blocked ports.

Question #2 [05 Marks]

Page 3 of 9
In the topology given in Question #1, perform the following tasks. Write down the commands to
configure each step
a) Assuming SW1 is a 24 port switch. Connect PC1, PC2, PC3, PC4 and PC5 on port
numbers 6, 8, 13, 17 and 21 respectively.
b) Configure VLANs on SW1 in such a way that PC1 should ping PC2 only and PC3 should
ping PC5 only. PC4 should not be able to communicate with any other PC. (Note: All
ports on SW1 connecting to other switches will be kept in default VLAN)

Solutions:

Page 4 of 9
Question #3 [05 Marks]
a) How OSI layers play their role in the communication between two computers. Illustrate
the role of each layer with example
b) Explain how the collisions occur in hubs and what can be done to make a collision free
environment.

Page 5 of 9
Solutions

a) The Open Systems Interconnection or OSI model portrays seven layers that PC frameworks
use to convey over an organization. It was the principal standard model for network
interchanges, embraced by all significant PC and media transmission organizations.

7. Application Layer

The application layer is used by end-user software such as web browsers and email clients. It
provides protocols that allow software to send and receive information and present meaningful
data to users.

6. Presentation Layer

The presentation layer prepares data for the application layer. It defines how two devices should
encode, encrypt, and compress data so it is received correctly on the other end.

5. Session Layer

The session layer creates communication channels, called sessions, between devices. It is
responsible for opening sessions, ensuring they remain open and functional while data is being
transferred, and closing them when communication ends.

Page 6 of 9
4. Transport Layer

The transport layer takes data transferred in the session layer and breaks it into “segments” on
the transmitting end. It is responsible for reassembling the segments on the receiving end,
turning it back into data that can be used by the session layer.

3. Network Layer

The network layer has two main functions. One is breaking up segments into network packets,
and reassembling the packets on the receiving end.

2. Data Link Layer

The data link layer establishes and terminates a connection between two physically-connected
nodes on a network. It breaks up packets into frames and sends them from source to destination.

1. Physical Layer

The physical layer is responsible for the physical cable or wireless connection between network
nodes.

b) The term collision territory is used to depict a bit of an association where group effects can
occur. Package impacts happen when two contraptions on a common association parcel send
packages simultaneously. The affecting bundles must be discarded and sent again, which
reduces network efficiency.

Collision happen regularly in a middle point atmosphere since all contraptions related with
the middle point are in a comparable effect territory. Simply a solitary contraption may send
at time, and the wide scope of different devices related with the middle must check out the
association to avoid crashes. Complete association bandwidth is shared among all devices.

As opposed to focus focuses, each port on an augmentation, switch, or a switch is in an

alternate collision space. This abstains from the opportunity of collisions and enables the
devices to use the full-duplex strategy for correspondence, which enough duplicates the best
data limit.

Page 7 of 9
Question #4 [05 Marks]
a) In the below topology explain the situation when
i. Computer A sends a frame to computer B assuming Switch 1 has not learned the
MAC address of computer B yet. How switch 1 and switch 2 will react.
ii. Switch 1 has learned both MAC addresses. Now if computer A sends a message
to computer B, what will the switch 2 do with the frame?
iii. If we are using UTP cables to connect devices in the below network topology,
label the diagram with the correct cable type (straight or cross over)

Page 8 of 9
Question #5 [05 Marks]
In the network topology shown in Question #4, how a network administrator can provide
redundancy between switches? What would be the sudden impact on the network right after the
redundancy is provided. Discuss all possible issues in detail and also the solution to each problem.

Solution:

Page 9 of 9