Interview Question for Network Engineer Job (Routing & switching)

I was interviewed last week and I received a job offer and I would like to share the question that I was asked. Remember this job was only for routing and switching technologies, no security or other thechnologies.

Interview Question for Network Engineer Job

Switch to Switch Connectivity

1. Name the VTP Modes?
2. How can you configure a switch port to be a trunk?
3. What command do you use to allow Vlans on a trunk?
4. How can you assign a vlan to a switch port?
5. Can you explain PortFast on a switch?
6. What the steps that PortFast ignore?

HSRP

1. Explain HSRP?
2. What command do you use to make sure that a wanted device is going to be an active mode?
3. How can you make all the Vlan uses the HSRP active device without using the switchport trunk allow vlan command?
4. What is the default priority number on HSRP?

Spanning Tree

1. Explain spanning tree?
2. How can you configure a switch to be a root-bridge?
3. What is the default priority on a switch?
4. What command to use to change the priority on a switch?

Etherchannel – Port Channel

1. Explain Etherchannel?
2. Can I bundle two different type of interface ex. a fastethernet with gigabitethernet?
3. How can you configure Etherchannel?
4. Is Etherchannel a layer 2 or layer 3 technology?

Routing Protocols

1. Explain EIGRP?
2. Explain BGP?
3. If you have two ISP provider and you want to have a primary line and backup, how can you control the flow from you side to the provider and coming back from the provider?
4. What is the AD for EIGRP and BGP
5. What command you use to establish neighbor with a BGP peer?
6. What command to use to advertise neighbor on EIGRP?

Troubleshooting

1. Explain how trace route works?
2. What command to use to verify that BGP neighbor has been established?
3. What extra option do you have beside the basics when using ping?

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Comments

GOZCU

excellent, thanks for the information.

MrBrian

Thanks a lot man! I know that to do well in an interview, it's no secret, you have to know your stuff straight.. but it's cool to see the kinds of things they actually asked. Thanks for the post

andy4tech

Man,that is a good information,thanks and congrats for your new job.

jovan88

great info there, don't completely understand what is being asked on HSRP question 3 though. anyone?

kerx

Awesome to be able to relate what the professional industry is looking for to what's on the CCNP exam. Thanks!

instant000

jovan88 wrote: »

great info there, don't completely understand what is being asked on HSRP question 3 though. anyone?

I think it's referring to making that preferred device the spanning tree root.

See this post:

https://supportforums.cisco.com/thread/2052805

Especially view the image posted at this reply to the thread:

https://supportforums.cisco.com/message/3230738#3230738

Hope this helps!

Zartanasaurus

Pretty easy quiz for anyone with a legit CCNP. Thanks for posting.

shodown

I know that wasn't all the questions but wow that was easy. With a Solid NP knolowdge you prob looked like a superstar to them.

Spoonroom

This is why I love Cisco qualifications. With the exams, you need to know what you're doing with the labs, you can't just study the theory. And with interviews like this, it's easy to find out if someone is capable of doing the work.

creamy_stew

Kinda weird questions, althougha ccnp should definately be able to answer them.

HUGELY cisco centric (even without the mention of EIGRP you can tell they ask the q from a cisco perspective) Cisco partner?

I've never heard of anyone getting this kind of specific questions. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, though. Here in Sweden, it's usually a telephone HR interview and a face-to-face technical interview. (Not necessarily techs doing the tech interview, though

)

amb1s1

creamy_stew wrote: »

Kinda weird questions, althougha ccnp should definately be able to answer them.

HUGELY cisco centric (even without the mention of EIGRP you can tell they ask the q from a cisco perspective) Cisco partner?

I've never heard of anyone getting this kind of specific questions. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, though. Here in Sweden, it's usually a telephone HR interview and a face-to-face technical interview. (Not necessarily techs doing the tech interview, though )

Yes, is only Cisco. They asked more question, but not much harder then the one that I was asked. They are really easy question because we know the answer, but there are a lot of people that have a "CCNP" and they don't know those answers, and that how you cut a no legit CCNP.

They also asked me couple of more question that I just point blank told them that I don't know the answer and they were more about wireless and some other stuff.

I can speak for almost 80% of user in this forum, that we are passion about cisco, network and I can speak for me that I love this stuff and I still remember my first ping, so when they ask you why should they choose you, don't afraid of showing your love for network. In my case, the manager love my answer.

Forsaken_GA

amb1s1 wrote: »

1. Explain how trace route works?

One of my favorite questions. Were you able to tell them both methods? If so, I'll bet they were suitably impressed. Most folks can't.

MrBrian

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

One of my favorite questions. Were you able to tell them both methods? If so, I'll bet they were suitably impressed. Most folks can't.

@ Forsaken, I remember when I heard you bring this up a few weeks ago, and I had no clue. Since then I've looked it up and researched it in depth just in case it ever got brought up. Funny to see how "tracert" on windows works as compared to the "traceroute" on cisco not a big difference, but a yes a difference. Thanks for bringing that up for us.

Forsaken_GA

MrBrian wrote: »

@ Forsaken, I remember when I heard you bring this up a few weeks ago, and I had no clue. Since then I've looked it up and researched it in depth just in case it ever got brought up. Funny to see how "tracert" on windows works as compared to the "traceroute" on cisco not a big difference, but a yes a difference. Thanks for bringing that up for us.

The difference is actually fairly major, given that they use different protocols. Unless the firewall admins are being really militant, one or the other will usually make it through. That's one of the reasons I like to bring it up, having the mental agility to realize that you can use different protocols to achieve the same results is a sign of a good troubleshooter.

(Btw, Dear Security People - Blocking all ICMP is stupid. Doing so breaks PMTUD and causes the loss of valuable diagnostic information. Get your heads out of your ass, do your homework, and stop doing deny icmp any any)

instant000

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

(Btw, Dear Security People - Blocking all ICMP is stupid. Doing so breaks PMTUD and causes the loss of valuable diagnostic information. Get your heads out of your ass, do your homework, and stop doing deny icmp any any)

LOL.

This is funny, but true.

At work we tell each other that some of these ideas come from the latest security forum they went to, where they see these five minute presentations, but never bothered to read the book that accompanied it.

Of course, I'm of the mind that there is no such thing as a secure network.

As a coworker told a customer today: You'll never score 100% on a firewall audit, as our point of view is that it is impossible to have a 100% secure network. ... I'm just hoping the customer on the other end of the line didn't have 100% firewall audit as one of his performance review goals.

instant000

MrBrian wrote: »

@ Forsaken, I remember when I heard you bring this up a few weeks ago, and I had no clue. Since then I've looked it up and researched it in depth just in case it ever got brought up. Funny to see how "tracert" on windows works as compared to the "traceroute" on cisco not a big difference, but a yes a difference. Thanks for bringing that up for us.

And this initiative is a good sign that you want to be better today than you were yesterday, and better tomorrow than you were today.

For completeness:

Using the traceroute Command on Operating Systems [IP Routed Protocols] - Cisco Systems

MrBrian

instant000 wrote: »

For completeness:

Using the traceroute Command on Operating Systems [IP Routed Protocols] - Cisco Systems

Thanks, I appreciate it! I should have known to look around on Cisco's site.. I had read some other random article that explained it, but this is much clearer for me.

rakem

I went for an interview last week. I got asksed the following:

Difference between route distingushers and route targets
What are BGP communities for
How do you route between VRFs

That was pretty much it.

Chris_

amb1s1 wrote: »

3. How can you make all the Vlan uses the HSRP active device without using the switchport trunk allow vlan command?

QUOTE]

I'm still not sure I understand what this question is getting at or where the "switchport trunk allow vlan" comes into it and I rate myself as a bit of an expert with HSRP ; can anyone expand on this for me?

creamy_stew

Chris_ wrote: »

amb1s1 wrote: »

3. How can you make all the Vlan uses the HSRP active device without using the switchport trunk allow vlan command?

QUOTE]

I'm still not sure I understand what this question is getting at or where the "switchport trunk allow vlan" comes into it and I rate myself as a bit of an expert with HSRP ; can anyone expand on this for me?

Yeah, I don't get that either.

Switch(config)#default interface gi x/y
Router(config)#int gi x/y
Router(config-if)#sw mode trunk

?

Nah, I'm reaching

Ryan82

Pretty straight forward interview questions. Congrats on the job offer.