A cable labeled with DCE needs to be configured with what command?

• A. clock rate
• B. speed
• C. configure bandwidth
• D. set clock

Answer: (A)

On a serial link, the device labeled as DCE provides the timing signal that both ends must follow. To establish that timing, you configure the interface with the clock rate command, which sets the bit rate for the link (the timing source) on the DCE side. For example, on the serial interface you might enter clock rate 64000 to set a 64 kbps link. The other options don’t configure the actual timing: speed isn’t a valid IOS command for this purpose, configure bandwidth adjusts routing metrics rather than clock timing, and set clock isn’t a valid command. Hence, clock rate is the command used to clock a DCE-connected serial link.