Networking Admin Protocols

This question can be used to evaluate any junior level Network administration candidate working in a Windows environment. A candidate that has one year of network administration experience is expected to get this question correct.

What is the most common communications protocol in today's Windows-centric networks?

A) Netware Directory Service
B) Internetwork Packet Exchange
C) AppleTalk
D) Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
E) Domain Name System
F) Sequenced Packet Exchange

The correct answer is D, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP). TCP/IP is the only possible answer as it is the only of the list that is truly a communications protocol for Windows. Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) and Sequenced Packet Exchange (SPX) are communications protocols for Novell, not Windows as the question asks. The AppleTalk communications protocol is used for Apple computers. A less experienced candidate may choose answer C (DHCP) or E (DNS) since they are commonly used aspects of a network. If a candidate chooses answer A (NDS) it shows his or her lack of experience, as it is an LDAP directory structure.


About the author

Chris Rice is an Infrastructure Team Manager for a software company outside of New York City. He has a wife, son, and two dogs. He has been an Administrator and consultant for the past 5 years. He has a degree in English from UNC Chapel Hill and is currently working toward his MS from NYU. He enjoys writing and you can see a sample of his work at his Swynk home page, listed below. Website: http://www.swynk.com/friends/rice

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