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Difficulty: HardWired and Wireless Network Issues

A network technician is troubleshooting a newly installed desktop computer in an enterprise office that cannot access local file shares or internet resources. The technician runs the command `ipconfig /all` on the workstation and observes the following output:

IPv4 Address . . . . . . . . . . . : 169.254.108.73
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.0.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . :
DNS Servers . . . . . . . . . . . :

The workstation is connected directly to a network wall outlet using a tested Cat6 Ethernet cable, and the link light on the network interface card (NIC) is solid green with flickering activity. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

  1. The workstation is unable to communicate with a DHCP server to receive an automatic IP configuration.Answer
  2. B
    The physical network cable is broken, causing a complete failure at Layer 1 of the OSI model.
  3. C
    The DNS server is offline and failing to issue IP address leases to client devices.
  4. D
    The workstation is experiencing co-channel signal interference on its 2.4 GHz wireless network adapter.

Answer

The workstation is unable to communicate with a DHCP server to receive an automatic IP configuration.
An IPv4 address in the range of 169.254.0.1 through 169.254.255.254 indicates APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing). The operating system assigns an APIPA address when the client is configured for dynamic IP addressing but fails to receive a response from a DHCP server. Since the link light is active, the physical connection exists, pointing to a DHCP server reachability or service issue.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the ipconfig output provided in the scenario.
The IPv4 address is identified as 169.254.108.73 with a 255.255.0.0 subnet mask.
Addresses in the 169.254.0.0/16 range are designated for Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA).
2
Evaluate the cause of an APIPA address assignment.
APIPA is assigned by the client OS when DHCP discovery requests receive no response.
This signifies that the workstation cannot establish communication with an active DHCP server on the broadcast domain.
3
Cross-reference physical layer indicators from the scenario.
The link LED is illuminated green with activity.
Physical Layer (Layer 1) connectivity is established, ruling out a completely severed cable or unpowered port.

Key Concept

Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) and DHCP Reachability
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Topics

Wired and Wireless Network Issues

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