3.5. Reflection Checkpoint: Implementation Mastery
Key Takeaways
Before proceeding, ensure you can:
- Apply route selection hierarchy: longest prefix → AD → metric
- Explain why STP blocks redundant paths and what happens without it
- Identify the non-overlapping 2.4 GHz channels (1, 6, 11)
- Distinguish WPA2-Personal (PSK) from WPA2-Enterprise (802.1X/RADIUS)
- Explain why trunk native VLAN must match on both switch ends
- Design hot/cold aisle cooling for equipment installations
Connecting Forward
In Phase 4, you'll learn how to operate and maintain the networks you've implemented—monitoring, documentation, disaster recovery, and essential services like DHCP and DNS. Understanding implementation helps you troubleshoot operations issues: knowing how OSPF should behave helps you recognize when it's misbehaving.
Self-Check Questions
-
A user in VLAN 10 needs to reach a server in VLAN 20. Both VLANs exist on the same switch. Why can't they communicate directly, and what's needed?
-
You add a second link between two switches for redundancy. Immediately, users report extreme network slowness. What happened, and what should have been configured first?
-
An office has 20 APs in a dense deployment. Design a channel plan for 2.4 GHz that minimizes interference.
