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Objective 1.6

N10-009

Compare and contrast network topologies, architectures, and types.

Objective 1.6 sits in Networking Concepts, which carries 23% of the Network+ exam. The questions below are original, written from the official objective title above, and each explanation cites the CompTIA page it rests on.

Objective title verbatim from the official objectives. CompTIA exam page ↗

A worked example

Shown solved, with the whole explanation open: this is what every question here carries.

1-6Networking Concepts

A network administrator is deploying STP in a three-tier hierarchical network. Which device should be configured as the spanning tree primary root bridge?

An access layer switch that connects directly to end user devicesAccess switches are explicitly called out as devices that should not be configured as the primary root.
An end-station host that runs spanning tree protocol in softwareEnd stations do not participate as STP root devices in a switched hierarchy.
A distribution layer switch that aggregates multiple access switchesCorrect · your answerCorrect: matches the guidance that root devices should be backbone or distribution devices.
A wireless access point operating at the network access layerAccess points sit at the access layer and are not spanning tree root candidates in this design.
A firewall appliance that enforces ACLs at the network edgeFirewalls at the network edge are not part of the STP root device recommendation for this topology.

Correct.

Checked against cisco.com, July 2026

Concept

In a three-tier hierarchical architecture, STP root placement follows the core/distribution/access layering, and Cisco guidance states the root device for each spanning tree instance should be a backbone or distribution device.

Why C

The distribution layer switch aggregates access switches and sits above them in the hierarchy, matching the guidance that the root device should be a backbone or distribution device rather than an access device.

Source

The root device for each spanning tree instance should be a backbone or distribution device. Do not configure an access device as the spanning tree primary root.

Cisco: Configuring Spanning Tree Protocol, checked July 2026
#three-tier hierarchical#stp#topologies#root bridge

Now you: objective 1.6 questions

No account needed. The explanation opens when you answer.

Sample question 1 of 3

1-6Networking Concepts

A network architect is building a spine and leaf topology. Between a leaf switch and a spine switch, the architect wants more bandwidth and wants traffic to keep flowing automatically if one physical link fails. Which technology fits this requirement?

Sample question 2 of 3

1-6Networking Concepts

In a three-tier hierarchical network, single links from wiring closet switches to the data center are bottlenecked at peak times. An engineer wants to increase bandwidth on these links while avoiding a redundant link that STP would simply place in a blocked, unused state. Which action meets both goals?

Sample question 3 of 3

1-6Networking Concepts

A company links each of its twelve branch offices back to one central site that holds the shared firewall and VPN gateway. Branches never connect directly to one another, and all inter-branch traffic transits the central site. Which topology does this design describe?

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Read the sources

These are the official pages the questions above cite. Reading them is studying the objective from the primary source, which is what the explanations point you toward anyway.

More objectives in Networking Concepts