ECMS MS Switching and Network Segmentation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the primary benefit of using Meraki MS switches compared to traditional managed switches in enterprise deployments?
- They support more physical ports per switch
- They are managed entirely through the Meraki cloud dashboard without requiring CLI access (Correct answer)
- They operate at higher switching speeds than all competitors
- They use a proprietary protocol that eliminates the need for VLANs
Correct answer: They are managed entirely through the Meraki cloud dashboard without requiring CLI access
Meraki MS switches provide cloud-managed configuration and monitoring through the dashboard, eliminating the need for CLI-based management and enabling zero-touch provisioning.
Question 2: How are VLANs configured on Meraki MS switch ports in the dashboard?
- Via SNMP push from the NMS
- As access or trunk ports with VLAN IDs defined in the Switch > Configure > Switch ports section (Correct answer)
- Only through the local console CLI
- Using LLDP neighbor discovery to auto-assign VLANs
Correct answer: As access or trunk ports with VLAN IDs defined in the Switch > Configure > Switch ports section
VLAN configuration on Meraki MS switches is done through the dashboard under Switch > Configure > Switch ports, where each port can be set to access or trunk mode with specific VLANs.
Question 3: Which Meraki MS feature allows Power over Ethernet (PoE) budgets to be monitored and managed per port from the dashboard?
- PoE scheduling and per-port power monitoring (Correct answer)
- LLDP-MED negotiation only
- Manual PoE toggle via SNMP
- PoE is not manageable on Meraki switches
Correct answer: PoE scheduling and per-port power monitoring
Meraki MS dashboard provides per-port PoE power consumption monitoring and allows administrators to enable/disable PoE and schedule power cycling on individual ports.
Question 4: What does enabling 'Rapid Spanning Tree Protocol (RSTP)' on a Meraki MS switch prevent?
- Broadcast storms caused by routing loops at Layer 3
- Layer 2 switching loops that cause broadcast storms and MAC table instability (Correct answer)
- VLAN flooding across trunk links
- Unauthorized devices from connecting to access ports
Correct answer: Layer 2 switching loops that cause broadcast storms and MAC table instability
RSTP (IEEE 802.1w) prevents Layer 2 switching loops by placing redundant switch ports into blocking state while maintaining near-instant convergence when a primary path fails.
Question 5: In Meraki switching, what is the purpose of configuring a 'Native VLAN' on a trunk port?
- It is the VLAN used for switch management traffic only
- It defines the VLAN that carries untagged frames received or sent on the trunk link (Correct answer)
- It prevents the native VLAN from being pruned from the trunk
- It assigns the highest STP priority to the native VLAN
Correct answer: It defines the VLAN that carries untagged frames received or sent on the trunk link
The native VLAN on a trunk port carries untagged Ethernet frames; frames received without a VLAN tag are placed into the native VLAN, and frames sent on the native VLAN are transmitted untagged.
Question 6: Which Meraki MS feature provides port-level security by restricting which MAC addresses are allowed to communicate through a switch port?
- 802.1X port authentication
- Port security with MAC address limiting (Correct answer)
- VLAN access control lists
- Dynamic ARP Inspection
Correct answer: Port security with MAC address limiting
Meraki port security allows administrators to limit the number of MAC addresses on a port or specify allowed MACs, helping prevent unauthorized devices from connecting.
ECMS MS Switching and Network Segmentation 1
What is the primary benefit of using Meraki MS switches compared to traditional managed switches in enterprise deployments?