An office network is experiencing intermittent connectivity. Several users have reported that their network connection drops and then reconnects frequently. The network administrator checks the switch and observes that the LED indicators for several ports are turning off and on in quick succession. Before replacing any hardware, which of the following actions should the network administrator take FIRST to troubleshoot the problem of port flapping?
Replace the network interface cards (NICs) on the computers connected to the flapping ports.
Perform a factory reset on the switch to eliminate any configuration issues.
Update the firmware on the network switch.
Check the cables and connections for the affected ports.