A network engineer has been tasked with designing a network for a new branch office with approximately 50
network devices. This branch office will connect to the other offices via a MAN. Many of the other branch offices
use off-the-shelf SOHO equipment. It is a requirement that the routing protocol chosen use the least amount of
overhead. Additionally, all computers on the network will be part of a single VLAN. The connection between
these computers should produce the highest throughput possible, in the most cost effective manner. Which of
the following devices would be MOST appropriate?

A.
A router should be used as a gateway device, with RIPv2 as the routing protocol. The computers should be
connected to one another with a Gb Layer 2 switch.

B.
A UTM should be used as a gateway device, with BGP as the routing protocol. The computers should be
connected to one another using 1Gb Fibre Channel.

C.
A router should be used as a gateway device, with EIGRP as the routing protocol. The computers should be
connected to one another using a single 802.11N MIMO access point.

D.
A router should be used as a gateway device, with OSPF as the routing protocol. The computers should be
connected to one another using a Gb Layer 3 switch.

Explanation:
A Gb Layer 2 switch is the cheapest switching solution offering 1Gbps network connectivity between the
computers. RIPv2 has a lower overhead as required in the question.
Incorrect Answers:
B: A 1Gb Fibre Channel network is expensive and is no faster than a 1Gbps network switch. Furthermore, the
computers would require Fibre Channel network adapters that do not come as standard on off-the-shelf
computers.
C: An 802.11N MIMO access point is a wireless access point. These typically run at 300mbps which is slower
than a 1Gbps network switch. Furthermore, the computers would require MIMO network adapters that do not
come as standard on off-the-shelf computers.
D: A layer 3 switch is more expensive than a layer 2 switch. The question states that all the computers are in
the same VLAN. Therefore, there is no need for inter-VLAN routing so a layer 3 switch is not required. OSPF
also has a higher overhead than RIPv2.