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?
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Check the cables and connections for the affected ports.
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Replace the network interface cards (NICs) on the computers connected to the flapping ports.
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Perform a factory reset on the switch to eliminate any configuration issues.
The correct answer is to check the cables and connections for the affected ports as this is the simplest and most commonly associated factor for port flapping. It can be caused by damaged or loose cables, or by poor cable management that leads to frequent movement or disconnections. The process of elimination usually starts with the easiest and cheapest solutions, which, in this case, involves verifying the state of physical connections before moving on to more complex tasks such as config issues or faulty NICs.
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What are common causes of intermittent connectivity in a network?
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What is port flapping and how does it affect network performance?
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What preventive measures can be taken to avoid port flapping?