DES-5221 Specialist Implementation Engineer Data Center Networking Exam
Question 1: In a modern data center architecture, which layer is primarily responsible for aggregating
traffic from the access layer?
A) Core Layer
B) Spine Layer
C) Leaf Layer
D) Edge Layer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The core layer in a data center architecture is designed to aggregate and transport traffic
from the access layer to the distribution layer or between various distribution points.
Question 2: What is the primary benefit of a spine-leaf architecture in data centers?
A) Reduced cabling complexity
B) Improved east-west traffic flow
C) Simplified routing protocols
D) Enhanced security filtering
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Spine-leaf architectures are engineered to optimize east-west traffic by ensuring low
latency and high bandwidth connectivity between servers in a data center.
Question 3: Which technology primarily enables the creation of isolated virtual networks on a shared
physical infrastructure?
A) VLAN
B) VXLAN
C) MPLS
D) BGP
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) is designed to create isolated virtual networks over a shared
physical network by encapsulating layer 2 frames within layer 3 packets.
Question 4: Dell EMC Networking products are best known for their:
A) Cloud storage solutions
B) High-performance network switches and routers
C) Personal computing devices
D) Software development kits
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Dell EMC Networking focuses on providing high-performance network switches and routers
specifically designed for data center environments.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes an overlay network?
A) A network that directly connects physical devices
B) A virtual network built on top of an underlying physical network
,C) A network that replaces the physical infrastructure entirely
D) A wireless-only network configuration
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: An overlay network is a virtualized network that runs on top of a physical (underlay)
network, abstracting the physical topology to create flexible virtual networks.
Question 6: What is the purpose of virtualization techniques in data center networking?
A) To increase hardware costs
B) To reduce scalability
C) To isolate and efficiently manage resources
D) To complicate network management
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Virtualization techniques allow data centers to isolate workloads, efficiently manage
resources, and improve overall scalability and flexibility.
Question 7: In a spine-leaf architecture, the “leaf” switches primarily connect:
A) Core routers
B) Servers and end devices
C) Internet gateways
D) Data storage arrays
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Leaf switches in a spine-leaf architecture are responsible for connecting servers and other
end devices, while spine switches interconnect these leaf switches.
Question 8: Which Dell EMC networking solution is optimized for high availability and fault tolerance
in data centers?
A) Basic unmanaged switches
B) Modular chassis switches
C) Home networking routers
D) Wireless access points
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Modular chassis switches from Dell EMC are designed for high availability and fault
tolerance, ensuring continuous operations in critical data center environments.
Question 9: How does VXLAN improve data center scalability?
A) By reducing the number of required IP addresses
B) By limiting the broadcast domain
C) By providing a 24-bit segment ID space
D) By replacing physical switches
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: VXLAN uses a 24-bit VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI), which provides a significantly larger
address space for segmenting virtual networks, thereby enhancing scalability.
,Question 10: Which protocol is commonly used in the control plane for EVPN deployments?
A) OSPF
B) BGP
C) RIP
D) EIGRP
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: BGP is often used in EVPN (Ethernet VPN) deployments as its control plane protocol to
distribute reachability information for virtual networks.
Question 11: What is the main objective of implementing quality of service (QoS) strategies in a data
center network?
A) To increase bandwidth for all traffic equally
B) To prioritize critical applications and manage congestion
C) To disable multicast traffic
D) To reduce encryption overhead
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: QoS strategies are implemented to prioritize mission-critical applications and manage
network congestion by differentiating traffic types based on performance needs.
Question 12: When deploying Dell EMC switches, which feature is most critical for ensuring network
uptime?
A) High power consumption
B) High availability configurations
C) Manual firmware updates
D) Static routing only
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: High availability configurations in Dell EMC switches are critical to ensure minimal
downtime and continuous network operations in data center environments.
Question 13: What is the function of multicast in data center environments?
A) To broadcast data to all nodes
B) To send data to a selected group of nodes
C) To encrypt network traffic
D) To monitor network health
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Multicast is used to send data efficiently to a group of subscribed nodes rather than
broadcasting to all nodes, thereby conserving bandwidth.
Question 14: In data center networking, what does the term “underlay network” refer to?
A) The virtual network overlaid on physical infrastructure
B) The physical network infrastructure itself
C) A legacy network no longer in use
D) A temporary network setup
, Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The underlay network is the physical network infrastructure that provides the basic
connectivity upon which overlay networks are built.
Question 15: Which layer in the data center network is primarily responsible for interconnecting
multiple data center pods?
A) Access Layer
B) Spine Layer
C) Distribution Layer
D) Management Layer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The distribution layer in a data center is generally tasked with aggregating traffic from the
access layer and interconnecting multiple data center pods, often working in tandem with the spine
layer.
Question 16: Which Dell EMC product line is known for offering robust software-defined networking
(SDN) capabilities?
A) PowerEdge Servers
B) Networking S-Series switches
C) Data Protection Appliances
D) Hyper-converged Infrastructure Systems
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Dell EMC’s Networking S-Series switches are designed to provide advanced SDN capabilities
that support flexible and efficient data center network architectures.
Question 17: In a data center overlay network, what role does network virtualization play?
A) It directly manages physical hardware
B) It enables segmentation and isolation of tenant traffic
C) It replaces all physical switches
D) It solely focuses on storage virtualization
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Network virtualization allows the creation of multiple isolated virtual networks over a
shared physical infrastructure, enabling efficient tenant segmentation.
Question 18: Which routing protocol is considered most scalable for large data center networks?
A) RIP
B) OSPF
C) BGP
D) IGRP
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: BGP is often favored in large-scale data center networks due to its scalability and ability to
handle a vast number of routes effectively.
Question 1: In a modern data center architecture, which layer is primarily responsible for aggregating
traffic from the access layer?
A) Core Layer
B) Spine Layer
C) Leaf Layer
D) Edge Layer
Correct Answer: A
Explanation: The core layer in a data center architecture is designed to aggregate and transport traffic
from the access layer to the distribution layer or between various distribution points.
Question 2: What is the primary benefit of a spine-leaf architecture in data centers?
A) Reduced cabling complexity
B) Improved east-west traffic flow
C) Simplified routing protocols
D) Enhanced security filtering
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Spine-leaf architectures are engineered to optimize east-west traffic by ensuring low
latency and high bandwidth connectivity between servers in a data center.
Question 3: Which technology primarily enables the creation of isolated virtual networks on a shared
physical infrastructure?
A) VLAN
B) VXLAN
C) MPLS
D) BGP
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: VXLAN (Virtual Extensible LAN) is designed to create isolated virtual networks over a shared
physical network by encapsulating layer 2 frames within layer 3 packets.
Question 4: Dell EMC Networking products are best known for their:
A) Cloud storage solutions
B) High-performance network switches and routers
C) Personal computing devices
D) Software development kits
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Dell EMC Networking focuses on providing high-performance network switches and routers
specifically designed for data center environments.
Question 5: Which of the following best describes an overlay network?
A) A network that directly connects physical devices
B) A virtual network built on top of an underlying physical network
,C) A network that replaces the physical infrastructure entirely
D) A wireless-only network configuration
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: An overlay network is a virtualized network that runs on top of a physical (underlay)
network, abstracting the physical topology to create flexible virtual networks.
Question 6: What is the purpose of virtualization techniques in data center networking?
A) To increase hardware costs
B) To reduce scalability
C) To isolate and efficiently manage resources
D) To complicate network management
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: Virtualization techniques allow data centers to isolate workloads, efficiently manage
resources, and improve overall scalability and flexibility.
Question 7: In a spine-leaf architecture, the “leaf” switches primarily connect:
A) Core routers
B) Servers and end devices
C) Internet gateways
D) Data storage arrays
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Leaf switches in a spine-leaf architecture are responsible for connecting servers and other
end devices, while spine switches interconnect these leaf switches.
Question 8: Which Dell EMC networking solution is optimized for high availability and fault tolerance
in data centers?
A) Basic unmanaged switches
B) Modular chassis switches
C) Home networking routers
D) Wireless access points
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Modular chassis switches from Dell EMC are designed for high availability and fault
tolerance, ensuring continuous operations in critical data center environments.
Question 9: How does VXLAN improve data center scalability?
A) By reducing the number of required IP addresses
B) By limiting the broadcast domain
C) By providing a 24-bit segment ID space
D) By replacing physical switches
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: VXLAN uses a 24-bit VXLAN Network Identifier (VNI), which provides a significantly larger
address space for segmenting virtual networks, thereby enhancing scalability.
,Question 10: Which protocol is commonly used in the control plane for EVPN deployments?
A) OSPF
B) BGP
C) RIP
D) EIGRP
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: BGP is often used in EVPN (Ethernet VPN) deployments as its control plane protocol to
distribute reachability information for virtual networks.
Question 11: What is the main objective of implementing quality of service (QoS) strategies in a data
center network?
A) To increase bandwidth for all traffic equally
B) To prioritize critical applications and manage congestion
C) To disable multicast traffic
D) To reduce encryption overhead
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: QoS strategies are implemented to prioritize mission-critical applications and manage
network congestion by differentiating traffic types based on performance needs.
Question 12: When deploying Dell EMC switches, which feature is most critical for ensuring network
uptime?
A) High power consumption
B) High availability configurations
C) Manual firmware updates
D) Static routing only
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: High availability configurations in Dell EMC switches are critical to ensure minimal
downtime and continuous network operations in data center environments.
Question 13: What is the function of multicast in data center environments?
A) To broadcast data to all nodes
B) To send data to a selected group of nodes
C) To encrypt network traffic
D) To monitor network health
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Multicast is used to send data efficiently to a group of subscribed nodes rather than
broadcasting to all nodes, thereby conserving bandwidth.
Question 14: In data center networking, what does the term “underlay network” refer to?
A) The virtual network overlaid on physical infrastructure
B) The physical network infrastructure itself
C) A legacy network no longer in use
D) A temporary network setup
, Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The underlay network is the physical network infrastructure that provides the basic
connectivity upon which overlay networks are built.
Question 15: Which layer in the data center network is primarily responsible for interconnecting
multiple data center pods?
A) Access Layer
B) Spine Layer
C) Distribution Layer
D) Management Layer
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The distribution layer in a data center is generally tasked with aggregating traffic from the
access layer and interconnecting multiple data center pods, often working in tandem with the spine
layer.
Question 16: Which Dell EMC product line is known for offering robust software-defined networking
(SDN) capabilities?
A) PowerEdge Servers
B) Networking S-Series switches
C) Data Protection Appliances
D) Hyper-converged Infrastructure Systems
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Dell EMC’s Networking S-Series switches are designed to provide advanced SDN capabilities
that support flexible and efficient data center network architectures.
Question 17: In a data center overlay network, what role does network virtualization play?
A) It directly manages physical hardware
B) It enables segmentation and isolation of tenant traffic
C) It replaces all physical switches
D) It solely focuses on storage virtualization
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Network virtualization allows the creation of multiple isolated virtual networks over a
shared physical infrastructure, enabling efficient tenant segmentation.
Question 18: Which routing protocol is considered most scalable for large data center networks?
A) RIP
B) OSPF
C) BGP
D) IGRP
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: BGP is often favored in large-scale data center networks due to its scalability and ability to
handle a vast number of routes effectively.
