Question

Difficulty: MediumIP Addressing and Network Configuration

A workstation on a network can successfully ping local devices by IP address (172.16.10.45172.16.10.45) and external public servers (1.1.1.11.1.1.1), but fails to load web pages when entering domain names into a browser. Which of the following network configuration settings is most likely missing or incorrect on the workstation?

  1. DNS server IP addressAnswer
  2. B
    DHCP server IP address
  3. C
    Default Gateway IP address
  4. D
    APIPA fallback address

Answer

The DNS server IP address setting is missing or misconfigured.
The ability to ping external and local IP addresses confirms that the host's IP address, subnet mask, physical connection, and default gateway are configured and functioning correctly. Domain Name System (DNS) servers are required to convert domain names into IP addresses. When a host can communicate via IP address but not by domain name, the DNS server address is missing, incorrect, or unreachable.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze ping test results for IP layer connectivity
Successful pings to 172.16.10.45172.16.10.45 (local) and 1.1.1.11.1.1.1 (remote) verify that local subnet routing, IP address assignment, and default gateway routing are all operational.
Establishing that IP addresses respond proves OSI Layer 3 network connectivity is intact.
2
Identify the service responsible for domain name conversion
Domain Name System (DNS) translates hostnames into numeric IP addresses.
Browsers rely on DNS resolution prior to initiating HTTP/HTTPS connections via domain names.
3
Determine the root cause of domain name failure
Without a valid DNS server configured, domain name queries fail despite valid IP-level routing.
Missing or unreachable DNS settings prevent hostname-to-IP resolution.

Key Concept

DNS Name Resolution and IP Configuration Verification
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