What Type of Traffic Flow Moves Laterally Between VMs?
A network administrator notices uncommon communication between VMs on ephemeral ports on the same subnet. The administrator is concerned about that traffic moving laterally within the network. Which of the following describes the type of traffic flow the administrator is analyzing?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
Tests recognition of lateral/internal network traffic patterns, with the common trap being confusion between east-west (internal) and north-south (external/client-to-server) flows.
East-west traffic refers to lateral communication between systems within the same data center or local subnet. Community consensus confirms this term specifically describes internal VM-to-VM flows, distinguishing it from north-south internet-bound traffic.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
East-west traffic specifically denotes data movement between systems within the same data center, cloud environment, or local subnet. The question’s keywords “same subnet,” “VMs,” and “moving laterally” directly align with industry standards for internal server-to-server communication. This pattern contrasts with north-south traffic, which crosses the perimeter to reach external clients or the internet. Modern virtualized environments heavily utilize east-west routing for microservices, database replication, and internal API calls.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Point-to-point describes a dedicated logical or physical link between two devices but does not define the broader architectural traffic pattern. Horizontal-scaling refers to adding more machines to a pool to increase capacity, not the direction or classification of network flows. Hub-and-spoke is a topology design where a central device connects multiple peripheral nodes, typically used for WAN or branch connectivity rather than intra-subnet VM communication. None of these options capture the lateral, internal nature emphasized in the scenario.Community Comment Notes
Contributors consistently highlight “laterally” as the critical keyword that points directly to east-west traffic [Comment 2]. Several users reinforce that east-west encompasses all internal data center activity, including switch, firewall, and router interactions [Comment 1]. The unanimous voting and concise explanations demonstrate strong community agreement on this foundational networking concept.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
Focus on memorizing the directional metaphors used in networking: north-south (client-to-server/perimeter crossing) versus east-west (server-to-server/internal). When you see keywords like “lateral,” “intra-subnet,” or “data center internal,” immediately eliminate north-south and topology-based options to select east-west.
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