Top 20 Network Administrator Interview Questions and Answers

1. Can you tell us about yourself?

This question is the most important not only because it’s the very first question of your interview but
the only opportunity to sell yourself as the best candidate for this job. You have to make sure that this
answer is tailored to the position at hand; meaning only talk about yourself in the relevance to this
position. Talk about your past experience in lT and stay away from irrelevant personal stuff. Stick to that
facts about yourself because if you say something that is not true, the interviewer may follow up with a
question that you can’t answer.

2. What is a firewall?
Firewall prevents a connection between two or multiple sources; it basically blocks any incoming or
outgoing traffic. Firewalls can be in software or hardware forms.

What is TCP/IP?
TCP is a Transmission Control Protocol that deals with establishing a connection between computers
before any data is being sent; in other words it act as the highway for data packets being sent back and
forth used by various Protocols like HTTP or FTP. TCP also sorts out data packet receive order.

4. Can you explain the difference between HTTP and HTTPS?

HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol used by majority of websites as means of transmitting
website data and it allows for use of hyperlinks. This Protocol mostly uses TCP port 80. HTTPS is a secure
version of HTTP that allows for identity verification and low level encryption using TCP port 443.

5. What is a proxy or proxy server?

Proxy deals with filtering network traffic in a sense of preventing access to certain websites and can
even monitor user web activity. To put it simply, it can block certain website from being accessed but it
can also act as a measure of hiding the true origin in point of access.

6. Can you explain what UDP is?

UDP stands for User Datagram Protocol. Unlike TCP, UDP is constantly broadcasting a connection signal
which can allow for faster connection speeds-with TCP you have to wait for connection confirmation
which takes time. UDP sends out data without consideration of what is receiving it; sort of like Radio
signal.

7. What is the loop-back IP address?

The loopback IP address is 127.0.0.1. As part of troubleshooting network connections issues; it is used to
test Network lnterface Card for functionality. lf you ping this ip address and it completes successfully it
means your hardware is okay

8. What is DHCP?
DHCP stands for Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol. The main function of DHCP is to handle
distribution of IP address on a network. IP address assigned by DHCP server are “Dynamic”, meaning
that they are leased and released dynamically. To explain it further, if you connect a PC to a network it
will get a leased IP address and if you disconnected or move the PC it will be assigned a different one.
9. What is FTP and Port used?
FTP is a File Transfer Protocol used to transfer large files between computers with built in ability to
pause transfer of data. Ports used by FTP are 20 and 21.

10. What is SSH and Port used?

Also known as Secure Shell; is used to establish a secure connection between devices which can be
anything from computers to switches. For example; you can use SSH at a café and connect to any device
anywhere; by establishing a configured Secure Shell tunnel between two devices. Making the
connection secure…

11. What is the maximum length of UTP cable allowed?

The maximum length of UTP is 90 to 100 meters for a single segment connection. If you have a switch or
a repeater it can compensate for this limitation.

12. What are the layers of OSI model and how many?
There are 7 layers of OSI model: Physical Layer, Data Link, Network, Transport, Session, Presentation and
Application.

13. What is the job of network layer?

A text book answer for this question is; the Network Layer deals with routing, switching and transmitting
of data from one point to another, but this layer is also responsible for error handling and packet
sequencing.

14. Can you name different types of network cables?

Cat-5 runs at 100Mb/s maximum, Cat-5e can run up to 1Gb/s, and Cat-6 can run up to 1OGb/s
connection speed. All cables are limited to 100 meters distance in order to run at optimum speed.

15. What is a subnet mask?

Subnet Mask dictates the size of a network and also tells which part of the subnet our host IP address
belongs to. Basically you can have multiple sub networks for given IP address range.

16. Can you tell me the difference between a workgroup and a domain?
With a Workgroup you have a collection of systems that are connected to the same network but have
their own set of rules and permission set at local level. With a Domain you have a group of systems that
are bound by the rules of centralized authentication server. In a Domain each system has to connect
through the Domain server using provided credentials.

17. How would you determine connection passed between a local host and a server?
A ”TRACERT” command is used to accomplish this test. Similar to ”ping” command with addition of
letting us visualize which routers or switches are used to connect in reaching of our destination. Used
for troubleshooting dead connections.

18. Can you explain ipconfig?

Ipconfig command is used to determine TCP/lP settings, DHCP configuration, DNS, Default Gateway, and
Subnet Mask. It can also be used to change Local DHCP settings; for example ipconfig /release and
/renew…
19. What is VPN?
A Virtual Private Network allows users to create a secure connection over public network such as
internet. This is commonly used by mobile workers in order to access company’s network from remote
locations.

20. Why should we hire you?

Just as important as the very first question on this list; this is your last chance to tell this employer why
you are the best choice for this position. You should talk about your experience and how you could use
that to benefit the company. Don’t be afraid to exalt yourself without coming of as egocentric; be polite
and smile.

Bonus Advice

As bonus advice; before going for an interview make sure you do research about the company you have
interview with. The main reason for this is multiple interviews in which one of them maybe with Human
Resources.

Truth be told, there are countless questions that you may come across and is almost impossible to know
which ones… l hope this guide gives you the confidence that you may need in order to get this awesome
job.

Good luck to you all, and have a wonderful day.