Cisco Certified Support Technician (CCST) NetworkingNetworking FundamentalsMedium
A network technician is troubleshooting a client's workstation that cannot access network resources, including the internet and internal servers. Upon checking, the workstation has an IP address of 169.254.10.150. What is the most likely reason for this IP address assignment?
- AThe router's internet connection is down.
- BThe workstation's network adapter is faulty.
- CThe DHCP server is unavailable or unreachable.
- DThe workstation has been assigned a static IP address incorrectly.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. The DHCP server is unavailable or unreachable.
An IP address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range indicates an Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) address. This occurs when a client configured for DHCP cannot obtain an IP address from a DHCP server.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. The router's internet connection being down would prevent internet access but not necessarily cause an APIPA address within the local network.
- B. A faulty network adapter would typically result in no IP address or a 'media disconnected' error, not an APIPA address.
- D. Static IP addresses are manually configured; an APIPA address is automatically assigned when DHCP fails.
APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing)
APIPA is a feature that allows a DHCP client to automatically configure an IP address and subnet mask when a DHCP server is unavailable.
- Uses the 169.254.0.0/16 address range.
- Allows local network communication, but not routing to other networks.
- Indicates a problem with DHCP server availability or connectivity.
Memory trick: APIPA: Automatic Problem, IP Absent.