CompTIA Server+ Exam: SK0-004 - Answer to Network Traffic Monitoring Question

Why Is the Server Not Seeing All Network Traffic?

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Question

A new server was installed for the purpose of monitoring network traffic.

The network has been configured in such a way that all traffic will be mirrored out the port this server is connected to.

When reviewing the network traffic logs on the server only traffic destined to the server is listed in the logs.

Which of the following is preventing the server from seeing all network traffic?

Answers

Explanations

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A. B. C. D.

C.

The problem here is that the server is not capturing all network traffic despite being connected to a port where all traffic is mirrored. This could be due to several reasons, but the most likely is that the server's network interface card (NIC) is not configured correctly.

Option A: NIC filtering is enabled.

If NIC filtering is enabled, it means that the NIC is configured to capture only specific types of network traffic, such as traffic that matches certain protocols or ports. This could explain why the server is only seeing traffic destined to itself and not other network traffic. However, it is not mentioned in the question that any filtering has been set up, so this option is unlikely.

Option B: Port security is configured.

Port security is a feature that limits the number of MAC addresses that can communicate on a particular switch port. It is used to prevent unauthorized devices from connecting to the network. However, it has nothing to do with the server's ability to capture network traffic, so this option can be ruled out.

Option C: NIC is not in promiscuous mode.

In normal operation, a NIC only captures network traffic that is addressed to it. However, when a NIC is set to promiscuous mode, it can capture all network traffic that passes through the network, regardless of whether it is addressed to the NIC or not. If the server's NIC is not set to promiscuous mode, it would explain why it is not capturing all network traffic. This is a likely possibility and the correct answer.

Option D: NIC is in promiscuous mode.

If the NIC is already set to promiscuous mode, it should capture all network traffic passing through the port. Therefore, this option is unlikely to be the correct answer.

In conclusion, the most likely reason why the server is not capturing all network traffic is that its NIC is not in promiscuous mode. Therefore, the correct answer is C.