Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

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Study for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam with our comprehensive quiz featuring multiple-choice questions and detailed explanations. Prepare effectively and enhance your understanding of networking concepts!

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What is the maximum frame size of the 802.3 Ethernet standard?

  1. 1518 bytes

  2. 1522 bytes

  3. 1548 bytes

  4. 1500 bytes

The correct answer is: 1522 bytes

The maximum frame size of the IEEE 802.3 Ethernet standard is indeed 1518 bytes. This includes 14 bytes for the Ethernet header, 4 bytes for the Frame Check Sequence (FCS), and up to 1500 bytes for the actual data (payload). The option indicating 1522 bytes accounts for an additional 4 bytes used for VLAN tagging (IEEE 802.1Q), which is not a part of the standard Ethernet frame size but rather an extension for VLANs. This means that while in VLAN-capable networks, frames can be larger, the base standard itself defines the maximum at 1518 bytes for untagged frames. Each of the other frame sizes mentioned either reflect typical values for variations of Ethernet, or are simply misinterpretations of the standard configurations for Ethernet frame sizes.