Flashcard 5: Q: What is ICMP and its utility?
A: ICMP is a Layer 3 protocol used for
utilities like ping and traceroute to transfer data between networks.
Flashcard 6: Q: What is the purpose of the ping utility? A: Ping is used to transfer
data between networks, sending echo requests and receiving echo replies.
Flashcard 7: Q: How are ICMP echo request and reply identified? A: Echo request
has type 8, and echo reply has type 0.
Flashcard 8: Q: What does a "Request Timed Out" message indicate? A: It indicates
no response was received, possibly due to no route to the destination.
Flashcard 9: Q: What does "Destination Host Unreachable" mean? A: It means the
gateway or router cannot reach the destination network.
Flashcard 10: Q: Can a router have multiple default gateways? A: Yes, based on
different interfaces and networks.
Flashcard 11: Q: What is UDP and what are its header components? A: UDP is a
connectionless protocol with an 8-byte header containing source port, destination
port, length, and checksum.
Flashcard 12: Q: What is the maximum transmission unit (MTU) value? A: 1500
bytes.
Flashcard 13: Q: What is the purpose of the checksum in UDP? A: To check for
errors in the packet.
Flashcard 14: Q: What port number does FTP use? A: Port 21.
Flashcard 15: Q: What is the difference between FTP and TFTP? A: FTP is secure
and supports large files; TFTP is lightweight, used for small files, and less secure.
Flashcard 16: Q: What are the two versions of RIP? A: RIP version 1 and RIP
version 2.
Flashcard 17: Q: How do RIP versions differ? A: RIP v2 uses multicast for updates;
RIP v1 uses broadcast.
Flashcard 18: Q: Why is RIP not commonly used now? A: Due to frequent updates
causing high CPU and network overhead.
Flashcard 19: Q: What is the maximum hop count in RIP? A: 15.
Flashcard 20: Q: What layer protocol does ARP operate on? A: Layer 3 (Network
layer).
Flashcard 21: Q: What is the protocol number for EIGRP? A: 88.
Flashcard 22: Q: What is the difference between protocol number and port number?
A: Protocol number identifies the main protocol; port number specifies the
application.
Flashcard 23: Q: What are the criteria for forming an EIGRP neighborship? A: Same
autonomous system, matching hello and hold timers, and same network.
Flashcard 24: Q: What are K-values in EIGRP? A: Constants used to influence
routing metrics: bandwidth (K1), reliability (K2), delay (K3), load (K4), and MTU (K5).
Flashcard 25: Q: What is the ID value for internal and external EIGRP? A: Internal
EIGRP ID is 90; external is 170.
Flashcard 26: Q: What is a successor in EIGRP? A: The best path to reach a
destination.
Flashcard 27: Q: What is a feasible successor? A: A backup path with a feasible
distance less than the advertised distance of the successor.
Flashcard 28: Q: How does EIGRP support unequal load balancing? A: Using the
variance ratio, which divides the best path's feasible distance.
Flashcard 29: Q: What are DR and BDR in OSPF? A: Designated Router (DR)
manages updates; Backup Designated Router (BDR) acts as backup.
Flashcard 30: Q: How is the Router ID (RID) determined in OSPF? A: Usually the
highest IP address on a loopback or physical interface, or manually configured.
Flashcard 31: Q: What is the process ID in OSPF? A: A locally significant identifier
for OSPF processes on a router.
Flashcard 32: Q: What is the purpose of OSPF areas? A: To segment the network for
efficient routing; Area 0 is the backbone.
Flashcard 33: Q: Can areas in OSPF communicate directly? A: No, they
communicate via the backbone area (Area 0).
Flashcard 34: Q: What are LSA types in OSPF? A: Types 1-7, used for different
routing information; e.g., Type 1 is Router LSA.
Flashcard 35: Q: What is the purpose of summary LSA? A: To advertise summarized
routes between areas.
Flashcard 36: Q: Which layer does BGP operate on? A: Layer 4 (Transport layer)
using TCP.
Flashcard 37: Q: What is the port number for BGP? A: 179.
Flashcard 38: Q: What is the difference between IBGP and EBGP? A: IBGP is within
the same AS; EBGP is between different ASes.
Flashcard 39: Q: Why are route reflectors used in BGP? A: To prevent full mesh
IBGP peering and reduce configuration complexity.
Flashcard 40: Q: What is the purpose of BGP attributes like weight? A: To influence
route selection.
Flashcard 41: Q: What is the difference between Layer 2 and Layer 3 security? A:
Layer 2 focuses on MAC addresses; Layer 3 on IP addresses and networks.
Flashcard 42: Q: What does port security do? A: Attaches MAC addresses to ports,
limiting the number of devices.
Flashcard 43: Q: How many violation modes are there in port security? A: Three:
Shutdown, Protect, and Restrict.
Flashcard 44: Q: What is VLAN tagging? A: Adding a VLAN ID (VLAN tag) to identify
traffic belonging to a specific VLAN.
Flashcard 45: Q: What is the difference between ISL and 802.1Q? A: ISL is Cisco
proprietary; 802.1Q is an open standard VLAN tagging protocol.
Flashcard 46: Q: What is an access port? A: A port configured to carry traffic for a
single VLAN.
Flashcard 47: Q: What is a trunk port? A: A port that carries traffic for multiple
VLANs.
Flashcard 48: Q: What is VTP? A: VLAN Trunking Protocol, used to manage VLANs
across switches.
Flashcard 49: Q: What are VTP modes? A: Server, Client, and Transparent.
Flashcard 50: Q: What is STP and what does BPD stand for? A: Spanning Tree
Protocol; BPD is Bridge Protocol Data Unit used for network topology.
Flashcard 51: Q: What is BPDU guard? A: A feature that disables a port if it receives
a BPDU, preventing loops.
Flashcard 52: Q: What is BPDU filter? A: A feature that prevents a port from sending
or receiving BPDUs.
Flashcard 53: Q: What are the two main types of ACLs? A: Standard and Extended.
Flashcard 54: Q: What is the difference between standard and extended ACLs? A:
Standard ACLs filter based on source IP; extended filter based on source,
destination, and protocol.
Flashcard 55: Q: Can ACL rules be modified or deleted? A: Yes, rules can be
changed or removed as needed.
Flashcard 56: Q: What is inbound and outbound traffic in ACLs? A: Inbound traffic
enters an interface; outbound traffic leaves an interface.
Flashcard 57: Q: Why is static routing important? A: It provides manual control over
routing paths, especially in simple networks.
Great! Let’s get you fully prepared for the Infrastructure Engineer interview 🔧🛡️. Here's
what I’ll send you now:
📄 15 Common Infra/Network Security Interview Q&A
# Question Smart Answer (Short &
Clear)
1 What’s the difference A router connects different
between a router and a networks (L3), a switch
switch?
connects devices within the
same network (L2).
2 What is a VLAN? A VLAN is a logical
separation in a switch to
isolate traffic without using
separate switches.
3 What is a firewall? A device that filters
incoming and outgoing
traffic based on security
rules.
4 What is NAT and why is it NAT converts private IPs to
used? public IPs to allow internet
access and hide internal
addresses.
5 Difference between static Static: manually configured.
and dynamic routing? Dynamic: learned via
protocols like OSPF, BGP.
6 What are the layers of the 7: Physical, Data Link,
OSI model? Network, Transport,
Session, Presentation,
Application. Focus is on
Layer 2–4.
7 What tools do you use for Ping, traceroute, show
troubleshooting? commands (like show ip
route, show interface),
log checks.
8 What is the default A device (usually a router)
gateway? that sends traffic to
destinations outside the
local network.
9 What is DNS? Translates domain names
(like [Link]) to IP
addresses.
10 What is ARP? Resolves IP addresses to
MAC addresses inside a
local network.
11 What is the use of Breaks a large network into
subnetting? smaller, manageable
subnets.
12 What is a DMZ in A demilitarized zone — a
networking? buffer zone between internal
and external networks,
hosting public services.
13 How does a stateful firewall It tracks the state of
work? connections and only allows
return traffic for established
sessions.
14 How do you troubleshoot if a Check IP config → ping
device can’t access the gateway → check DNS →
internet? traceroute →
firewall/NAT/logs.
15 Difference between TCP TCP is reliable,
and UDP? connection-oriented (used
for web, email). UDP is
faster, connectionless (used
for streaming, DNS).
🧾 1-Page Cheat Sheet (Key Concepts for Quick
Review)
🧠 OSI Layers:
1. Physical 2. Data Link 3. Network 4. Transport 5. Session 6. Presentation 7. Application
🌐 Networking Devices:
- Router: Layer 3, connects networks
- Switch: Layer 2, connects devices
- Firewall: Controls traffic based on rules
- Load Balancer: Distributes traffic to servers
🌈 VLAN:
- Virtual LANs separate traffic logically
- Each VLAN = separate broadcast domain
🧮 Subnetting:
- Breaks networks into smaller segments
- Example: [Link]/24 → 256 IPs
🔐 NAT:
- Converts private IPs to public IPs
- Static NAT, Dynamic NAT, PAT
🌍 Routing:
- Static: manually configured
- Dynamic: via OSPF, BGP, EIGRP
🛡️ Firewall:
- Stateless: checks each packet
- Stateful: tracks full connection
- Next-Gen: deep inspection, app layer
🧰 Troubleshooting Flow:
1. Check physical connections
2. IP config (ipconfig/ifconfig)
3. Ping gateway
4. Ping external IP
5. Check DNS
6. Traceroute
7. Check logs/firewall/NAT
🗣️ Tricky Question Handling (Scripts)
❓ "You don’t have direct infra experience?"
“That’s true — my primary role was in optical design. But during high-load periods, I
supported the network team with monitoring and first-level troubleshooting of routing/firewall
issues. I also understand network flow from Layer 0 to Layer 3, and I’m continuously
improving my hands-on skills through labs.”
❓ "Why should we hire you for an infra role?"
“Because I bring deep experience in large-scale network environments, quick learning ability,
and real exposure to how different layers work together. I’ve already contributed in a hybrid
role and I’m ready to fully focus on infrastructure going forward.”
❓ "Tell me how you handled troubleshooting."
“I’ve handled circuit-level faults, and when issues extended beyond Layer 0, I coordinated
with routing teams. I checked interface status, signal strength, and link status, and supported
initial diagnosis like ping, routing loops, or MTU mismatches. I also worked on resolving
alerts from monitoring tools.”