CompTIA A+ Depot Technician Quiz #14

[ramesh]

You are the Network Administrator for your company. A trainee asks what a loopback plug is used for. What would your response be? Choose the best option(s) from those listed below.

a) They are used to connect two computers together without using a device between them.
b) They are used in conjunction with software.
c) They are used to test networking protocols.
d) They are used to test ports.

[zRo ToLeRaNcE]

C - test networking protocols.

[ramesh]

A loopback plug is used along with diagnostic software to test ports to see if they are operational. The plug is configured so the transmit and receive pins are reversed. This will redirect any outgoing transmissions back to the receiving pins and back to the sending computer. This tells you if the port is operational.

Correct Option(s):

b) They are used in conjunction with software.
d) They are used to test ports.

Incorrect Option(s):

a) They are used to connect two computers together without using a device between them. - You would use a crossover cable to achieve this, not a loopback plug.
c) They are used to test networking protocols. - A loopback plug is used to test ports on a computer, not protocols.

[Skele Drew]

Sooo... What do you use to test the protocols?

[zRo ToLeRaNcE]

The term ports needs to be clarified.
Ports can be application ports OR physical ports.

When i see test port - i think application port first (ep 80, 8080, 23, etc)

That question worded incorrectly - not my fail, CompTIA's FAIL!!!

[ramesh]

The term ports needs to be clarified.
Ports can be application ports OR physical ports.

When i see test port - i think application port first (ep 80, 8080, 23, etc)

That question worded incorrectly - not my fail, CompTIA's FAIL!!!

Sooo... What do you use to test the protocols?

Testing protocols is not within the scope of a loopback plug. Loopback plugs are physical devices you connect to physical ports. The term "ports" as used within operating systems are not actual ports but software ports, meaning they are a network layer interfacing with actual physical ports and virtual ports.