Senior Network Engineer Interview Questions

Why Hire A Network Engineer

Network Engineers are predominantly using AI for reducing network complexity. AI and ML-based network analytics play a major role in customizing the network baseline for alerts, lowering noise and false positives. Besides, Network Engineers can recognize issues, threats, and root causes as well.

On the other hand, Machine Learning based networks can predict traffic flows, develop smart analytics, track network health, and also tighten security measures. In the words of Larry Lunetta , VP of WLAN and Security Solutions Marketing at Aruba, the AI in Network Engineering is all about accessing a large volume and variety of data to train the models that produce reliable results across all networks topologies. This is how AI empowers Network Engineers.

What Is The Ieees Role In Computer Networking

IEEE is a professional electronic and electrical engineering society founded in 1963. It is an engineering organization that develops and oversees standards for electrical and electronic equipment. In addition, they build new networking concepts for computer networking, maintain and update existing Network related RFCs , build and maintain standards for Networking equipment vendors, etc.

Can You Define Nat

NAT stands for Network Address Translation. This is for IP networks that are using unregistered IP addresses.

NAT enables them to connect to the internet. In this process, a public address is assigned to a system within a private network.

NAT operates using a router and converts the private addresses into legal addresses.

It is also used for securing networks by limiting the number of IP addresses a company can use within a network.

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Mention The Different Types Of Lan Cables Used In Networking What Do You Mean By A Cross Cable

Some of the common types of LAN cables that are used in networking are CAT 5 and CAT 6. CAT 5 provides 100 Mbps of speed and CAT 6 offers 1 Gbps of speed.

However, the three major types of network cables are coaxial, fiber optic and twisted pair.

A cross cable is also called a crossover cable that is used for connecting two similar devices for communication without the help of a hub or a switch.

Senior Network Engineer Interview Questions And Answers

You are an experienced network engineer. So, the questions in the Senior Network Engineer Interviews will be the questions that has middle level difficulty. The interviewer will ask you about the lessons that you should know during your job, during network operations. They will try to learn that you are really ready for this network job. They will ask specific network questions on various network protocols, on various network scenarios and with these Network Engineer Interview Questions, they will determine your network level if it is suitable for this role or not. In this page, we will cover many Senior Network Engineer Interview Questions and Answers to prepare you for such technical interviews.

In a Senior Network Engineer Interview, network questions are generally specific questions to the role. At the beginning, they ask you basic network questions and the difficulty of the questions increases after each question. So, you should be really ready before your real network interview. You should practice more with Senior Network Engineer Interview Questions and Answers to be successful in your technical network engineering interview. Here, with IPCisco CATs, you will find many real Senior Network Engineer Interview Questions and Answers. You can test yourself with these questions and you can be familiar with real interview questions.

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What Is Your Strategy To Stay Updated On Current Innovations In Ai Cloud Network Automation And Related Technologies

How to Answer

Information technology and networking are fast-moving and ever-changing industries. Keeping up with the technology, news, and developments is a daunting task. As a senior network engineer, it is your responsibility to accomplish this efficiently and share your knowledge and information with the rest of the team. It would help if you had a defined strategy for keeping up on current events within the network industry, using specific actions which take as little time as possible so you’re not distracted from your primary responsibilities.

Written by William Swansen on August 3rd, 2021

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What Is Osi And What Role Does It Play In Computer Networks

OSI serves as a reference model for data communication. It is made up of 7 layers, with each layer defining a particular aspect of how network devices connect and communicate with one another. One layer may deal with the physical media used, while another layer dictates how data is transmitted across the network.

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What Is An Ipv4 Address What Are The Different Classes Of Ipv4

An IP address is a 32-bit dynamic address of a node in the network. An IPv4 address has 4 octets of 8-bit each with each number with a value up to 255.

IPv4 classes are differentiated based on the number of hosts it supports on the network. There are five types of IPv4 classes and are based on the first octet of IP addresses which are classified as Class A, B, C, D, or E.

Questions About Experience And Background

Hiring managers want to know more about your experience and how you’re qualified for the position. They’ll likely ask questions to help them gage if your level of experience is what they’re looking for or if you have enough knowledge to support additional training you’ll receive once you’re hired. Read through this list of questions to get an idea of the types of questions an employer may ask about your background:

• Explain the importance of network blueprints.

• What’s one of the largest challenges you’ve experienced as a networking engineer? How did you handle it?

• What do you do when you realize you’ve made a mistake?

• Which networking protocols have you worked with in your previous roles?

• When would you recommend a company use a private IP address?

• What do you think are the most common software problems?

• Which tools have you used in your previous positions?

• What’s the largest network you’ve been responsible for engineering?

• Tell us about a time when you worked with software-defined networks .

• Give us a brief summary of the different types of networks.

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Can You Define The Osi Model

The OSI is a reference model that has the necessary protocols and standards for communicating over a network.

The model was made by the International Organization for Standardization in 1984. It consists of seven layers, where each layer has a different function.

These layers are Physical Layer, Data Link Layer, Network Layer, Transport Layer, Session Layer, Presentation Layer, and Application Layer.

What Are The Benefits Of Using A Modem

Benefits of using the Modem:

• Modems are devices that allow two computers to communicate with each other.
• Most modems come with a built-in router and firewall.
• Modems mostly come free with the Internet service you take at home.
• The modem is widely used in homes and small offices, and it is the simplest way to connect to the Internet.

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Behavioral And Personal Questions

The situation differs a lot with personal and behavioral questions. Since all employees experience the same kind of situations and challenges in the workplace , the questions are pretty similar in every interviewincluding the interviews for network engineering positions. Few of them are:

• Describe a conflict you had with your colleague.
• Describe a situation when you went above and beyond with your service .
• Tell us about a situation when you reached a goal and tell us how you achieved it.
• Describe a situation when you had to motivate someone in work .
• Describe the biggest failure of your professional career.

Many tech experts struggle with answers to behavioral questions, and their weakness will often cost them a new job contract. If you are also not sure how youd address the behavioral questions, have a look at our Interview Success Package. It can be the part of the puzzle you are missing, on your way to a great new job contract.

Alternatively you can continue your interview preparation with one of the following articles:

• Salary negotiation tips Learn how to negotiate the best possible contract at the end of the interview.
• How to dress for an interview Not surer what to put on? Check our 4 simple rules to choose the best possible clothes for your interview.
• IT & engineering interview questions Check other IT and technical questions you may deal with in your network engineer interview.

Q: Explain The Difference Between A White And Black Hat Hacker

A: Black and white hat hackersare different sides of the same coin. Both groups are skilled and talented in gaining entry into networks and accessing otherwise protected data. However, black hats are motivated by political agendas, personal greed, or malice, whereas white hats strive to foil the former. Many white hats also conduct tests and practice runs on network systems, to ascertain the effectiveness of security.

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What Are The Disadvantages Of A Star Topology

Disadvantages of star topology include:-

• It has a single point of failure if the central hub fails, everything connected to it will fail.
• It is costly to manage, as you need a high-end hub to cater to all traffic from the slave nodes.
• It is not suitable for heavy network traffic. Because everything is connected to the hub, and if the hub is not working properly, it slows down the entire network.

Can You State The Differences Between A Switch Router And A Hub

A switch is used for forwarding the data packets in a network. It facilitates error checking for the data packets and send error-free packets to the destined ports properly.

A router is a networking device that transfers data packets after analyzing their contents.

The correct destination, correctness and IP address of the data packets are checked by the router.

They make use of a routing table for finding out the best path for transmission.

A hub is a connection point for networking devices. Different segments of a LAN are connected using a LAN. It also has several ports for communication.

If a packet arrives at a hub port, it is copied to the other ports so that it is visible to the other segments of the LAN. But as they are unable to filter data, it sends the data packets to all the connected devices.

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What Is Private Ip Address Used For

Private IP addresses are allocated for use within an organization. These addresses are not routed across the public Internet, unlike public IP addresses. Private Ip addresses assigned by IANA are below:-

• Class A: 10.0.0.0 10.255.255.255

Any Organization can allocate these Private Ip addresses for their Internal use.

What Are The Advantages Of Fiber Optics Over Other Transmission Media

Below are the advantages of fiber optics over other media:-

• Fiber is faster and has less data loss rate over long distances .
• Fiber supports higher bandwidth, meaning you can send more data in one go.
• Fiber is thinner and lighter in weight, making it easier to fit/distribute, consuming less power.
• Fiber has no twisted copper wires, and it is immune to EMI/RFI and lightning damage.
• Fiber is entirely safe to work with because there are no electric sparks or shock concerns.
• Fiber has a longer lifespan than copper.
• Fiber is hard to tap or hack.

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Final Thoughts: Network Engineer Interview Questions To Ask

The essential questions for your network engineer interview should probe your candidates level of expertise, capabilities to work under pressure, and their ability to understand the long term goals of the company. As someone taking on executive responsibilities, you want to make sure you strike on the right balance between technical prowess and long-term vision, and these questions will help ensure you have a strong interview question foundation to establish these qualities.

> > To learn more about how to activate the Codility + Lever integration, check our help page for more details to screen and hire your next great network engineer!

Further reading

What Networking Strategy Do You Use To Reduce The Watts Per Bit Ensuring That The Network Operates At Its Highest Efficiency

How to Answer

Effective senior network engineers are keenly aware of the energy impacts of equipment, services, power, and cooling, and they are always striving to reduce costs within a network operations group. Since energy rates will continue to rise, this is an area you can focus on and should have a strategy for when looking to reduce cost. The interviewer will be curious about how you do this and will be impressed if you have a specific strategy already in mind.

Written by William Swansen on August 3rd, 2021

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What Is The Tcp Ip Model In Networking

The TCP IP model is a more precise representation of the OSI model.

The current architecture of the internet is based on the TCP IP model. It was developed by the Department of Defence’s Project Research Agency as a part of their project for communication within systems and remote machines.

It has 4 layers that have protocols required for communication between devices of a network. They are as follows:

• Application Layer

Whats Your Experience Working With A Development Team

Its becoming more common for networking and development teams to work together to support each other in a shared goal. An interviewer may ask you this question to gain insight on how youve communicated with other important teams in your prior roles and to understand more about how you feel about the collaboration between team. Pause before answering to plan your response and consider including an example.

Example:In my previous position, I worked closely with the DevOps teams to make sure the rollout of different software didnt negatively impact our network optimization. We communicated all throughout the development of the software so my team knew what to expect and what network resources the team would need to effectively launch the software to all users.

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Top 45+ Network Engineer Interview Questions And Answers

Ever wondered how wireless, video, and data services are managed on your computer? Network engineers design and maintain the computer networks that handle all that. Since computer networks arent going anywhere, a network engineer has favorable job prospects. Todays network engineer brings in an average $90,000+ per year in the US.

Are you considering network engineering as a career? Or perhaps youve already started to seek a more senior role. Weve put together this comprehensive list of network engineer interview questions to help you out!

Well cover the most basic questions, along with trickier networking troubleshooting interview questions. Lets get started!

What Are Rights In Networking

The term rights in networking refers to the authorization provided to an individual user by the network administrator/manager to carry out specific actions. For example, an Administrator can assign individual privileges to each network user based on what they can accomplish on network devices. You can use AAA concepts to maintain rights within your organization.

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Senior Level Interview Questions Of Network Engineer

Please make sure you have a fair idea of these questions before appearing for Senior Network Engineer.

• How do you approach Network Design? Please walk us through your complete process and mindset when designing large Networks?
• What is your Network troubleshooting process?
• What is the largest network you have ever designed or deployed? What problems have you faced, and how you had overcome them?
• What is your approach towards Network Security? and How you incorporate security in Network Designs?
• How would you add more connections to a large existing network?
• What are some fundamental techniques for increasing network performance?
• How do you make sure that you stay on top of innovations in the Network industry?
• Please draw a network topology you worked on before and explain the design.
• You have to explain complex technical concepts to coworkers and customers who lack technical expertise. How will you make sure they understand properly?

Intermediate Computer Network Interview Questions

Applying for an associate-level role? Prepare with networking interview questions for experienced network engineers.

21. What is routing?

Routing chooses the traffic path across multiple networks, between two networks or within a network. Different types of networks, such as computer networks and circuit-switching networks, support routing. Routing entails making decisions to direct data packets from the source to the destination.

22. How can you make a machine become a router?

Your device will be configured as a router if it has at least two additional interfaces in addition to lo0, or if it has at least one point-to-point interface.

Solaris 2.x: When the computer has two or more interfaces, the IP layer typically behaves as a router . By setting the /dev/ip variable ip forwarding with ndd, you can override this behavior. 0 indicates do not proceed, and the number 1 indicates proceed.

23. What do fully qualified and partially qualified domain names mean?

• Fully Qualified Domain Name

A fully qualified domain name ends with a null or empty string .

• Partially Qualified Domain Name

A partially qualified domain name does not end with a null string . A PQDN does not finish at the root rather, it begins at a node.

24. What is IP?

Each device in a computer network that uses Internet Protocol is assigned a numerical label known as an Internet Protocol address . The IP of your system or device uniquely identifies it from a large network of computers.

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