Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

If an interface displays as 'administratively down/line protocol down', what is a likely cause?

1. The interface needs a new IP address

2. The interface has been configured with the shutdown command

3. The interface is experiencing a power failure

4. The interface cable is disconnected

The correct answer is: The interface has been configured with the shutdown command

When an interface shows the status 'administratively down/line protocol down', it typically indicates that the interface has been manually disabled through configuration. The most common reason for this status is that the shutdown command has been applied to that interface in the device configuration. This command effectively disables the interface, preventing it from passing any traffic or establishing a connection, which is why we see the 'administratively down' part of the status message. While other options could describe conditions affecting an interface, they do not directly correlate with the 'administratively down' status. For instance, if the interface needed a new IP address, it would often show as 'down' rather than 'administratively down'. Similarly, a power failure or a disconnected cable would result in different status messages, such as 'down' or 'no carrier', rather than indicating administrative actions taken. Thus, the key cause linked to the 'administratively down' status is indeed the use of the shutdown command.