Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingNetwork AccessEasy

A network technician is configuring a new Cisco switch and needs to ensure that multiple VLANs can traverse a single physical link between this switch and another switch. Which type of port configuration is required for the interface connecting these two switches?

  1. ATrunk port
  2. BAccess port
  3. CRouted port
  4. DSPAN port
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A. Trunk port

A trunk port is specifically designed to carry traffic for multiple VLANs over a single physical link between switches or between a switch and a router. It uses encapsulation protocols like IEEE 802.1Q to identify which VLAN each frame belongs to.

Why the other options are wrong

  • B. An access port carries traffic for only a single VLAN and is typically used for end devices.
  • C. A routed port (Layer 3 port) acts like a router interface and does not carry multiple VLANs on a single physical link in the context of inter-switch communication.
  • D. A SPAN (Switched Port Analyzer) port is used for traffic monitoring, not for carrying multiple production VLANs between switches.

Trunk Port

A switch port configured to carry traffic for multiple VLANs over a single physical link, typically using 802.1Q tagging.

  • Connects switches to other switches or routers.
  • Allows VLANs to extend across multiple network devices.
  • Uses encapsulation (e.g., 802.1Q) to identify VLANs.

Memory trick: Trunk: The multi-lane bridge for VLANs.

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