CompTIA Network+ (N10-008) — Question 173

A technician is troubleshooting a report about network connectivity issues on a workstation. Upon investigation, the technician notes the workstation is showing an
APIPA address on the network interface. The technician verifies that the VLAN assignment is correct and that the network interface has connectivity. Which of the following is MOST likely the issue the workstation is experiencing?

Answer options

• A. DHCP exhaustion
• B. A rogue DHCP server
• C. A DNS server outage
• D. An incorrect subnet mask

Correct answer: A

Explanation

The correct answer is A, DHCP exhaustion, because an APIPA address indicates that the workstation could not obtain an IP address from a DHCP server, often due to all available IP addresses being assigned. Option B, a rogue DHCP server, could also prevent IP assignment, but the symptom of an APIPA address points more directly to DHCP exhaustion. Options C and D are not relevant since they relate to name resolution and subnetting, respectively, rather than IP address allocation.