Question 1
Q1A manufacturing plant is deploying a Resilient Ethernet Protocol (REP) ring with 12 Cisco IE 3400 switches to connect critical PLCs. During testing, an engineer observes that when the primary link fails, the network takes longer than expected to converge. Upon inspection, they find all switches are configured as standard REP ports. Which REP segment role must be configured on at least one port in the segment to ensure rapid convergence by blocking a redundant path under normal conditions?
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Correct answer: B
In a REP segment, one port must be configured with the 'Alternate' role. This port is responsible for blocking traffic on its link to prevent a loop during normal operation. When a link failure is detected elsewhere in the segment, the Alternate port unblocks to restore connectivity. Without an Alternate port, the segment cannot form a stable, loop-free topology, leading to convergence issues.