Network Engineer

Roles and Responsibilities: Core Networking & Switching: Strong understanding of STP (Spanning Tree Protocol), BPDU, loop prevention, PortFast Switch loop detection mechanisms VLANs, trunking, and VTP operations (including switch replacement scenarios) EtherChannel / Port-Channel concepts and design considerations vPC (Virtual Port Channel) – concepts and advantages Switch stacking – advantages and use cases DHCP & Layer 2 Security: DHCP deep dive (DORA process) and packet flow IP allocation process via DHCP DHCP Relay (same & inter-VLAN scenarios) DHCP Snooping and security implementation Wireless & Access Layer: Access Point troubleshooting steps CAPWAP protocol and relevant commands Routing & L3 Concepts: OSPF fundamentals BGP fundamentals, neighbor establishment and troubleshooting BGP soft reset vs hard reset Route selection behavior (eBGP vs iBGP) Route redistribution (OSPF ↔ BGP) and multi-domain connectivity High Availability & Design: HSRP concepts and gateway redundancy Primary/secondary core switch design Uplink design and failover behavior Troubleshooting & Validation: Service/port validation (e.g., verifying port 22 reachability from L3 devices) Real-time troubleshooting approach Transport Layer: Deep understanding of TCP vs UDP