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Storage Devices and Network Hardware: Question 7

Syllabus 3.4

Multiple choice 1 mark

A small design studio has six desktop computers in one office, all connected by network cable to a single piece of network hardware so that they can share files and a printer with each other. This piece of hardware has no connection to any other network and no connection to the internet; its only job is to receive data from one of the six computers and forward it, using the intended recipient's MAC address, only to the one specific computer it is meant for.

Which piece of network hardware is being described?

Choose an answer to check it, then compare with the worked solution below.
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Worked solution

Step 1: Identify what each candidate device actually does

  • A switch connects several devices within a single local network (LAN) and forwards incoming data only to the specific device it is addressed to, using that device’s MAC address, rather than sending it to every device.
  • A router connects different networks together, for example a home or office network to the internet, and directs data between them.
  • A modem converts data between the digital form used inside a network and the form needed to travel along a telephone or cable line to an internet service provider.
  • A network interface card (NIC) is fitted inside a single computer so that computer, and only that computer, can access a network.

Step 2: Match the clues in the scenario

The device described connects six computers within one office, has no connection to any other network or the internet, and forwards each piece of data only to the one computer it is intended for, based on that computer’s MAC address. This is exactly what a switch does.

Step 3: Rule out the distractors

  • Not the router: the scenario states there is no connection to any other network or the internet, which rules out the device whose job is to connect networks together.
  • Not the modem: nothing in the scenario involves converting signals for a connection to an internet service provider.
  • Not the NIC: the device described is shared by all six computers, not fitted inside just one of them.

Final answer

The hardware being described is the switch, option A.