Cisco Certified Network Professional Practice Test 2026 – Your All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

When a PC supports 802.1X authentication but the switch does not, the status of the port is considered normal. This is because 802.1X is a network access control protocol used for authenticating devices that are trying to connect to a network. If the switch lacks the capability to support 802.1X, it will not engage in the authentication process. As a result, the port operates under the standard conditions without any enforced restrictions, meaning that it can still allow traffic as if authentication were not a factor.

Other options can be ruled out based on this understanding. The port cannot have "No Traffic" status since normal operations would still permit traffic flow. Additionally, "Err-disabled" refers to a state where a port is turned off due to security violations or misconfigurations, which does not apply here since the switch is simply not capable of 802.1X. "Force Unauthorized" is a state where, if enforced, the port actively denies any access unless proper authentication occurs, again not applicable in this case because the switch does not support the mechanism at all. Thus, the status of the port remains normal, facilitating regular communication without 802.1X restrictions.