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Difficulty: MediumTroubleshooting IP Addressing and DHCP Services

A workstation on VLAN 30 (192.168.30.0/24192.168.30.0/24) fails to receive an IP address automatically and shows an APIPA address of 169.254.14.88169.254.14.88. A network administrator must systematically isolate the issue from the local host to the centralized network services. Place the troubleshooting steps in the correct logical sequence.

  1. 1Run `ipconfig /all` on the workstation to verify physical link state and confirm the assigned APIPA address.
  2. 2Check the router interface for VLAN 30 to ensure the `ip helper-address` is configured with the DHCP server IP.
  3. 3Execute a `ping` test from the gateway router to the centralized DHCP server to confirm Layer 3 reachability.
  4. 4Access the DHCP server management console to verify that the 192.168.30.0/24192.168.30.0/24 scope is active and has available leases.

Answer

The correct troubleshooting sequence starts at the local client host (`ipconfig /all`), moves to verifying the local router's DHCP relay configuration (`ip helper-address`), tests Layer 3 reachability to the server (`ping`), and finishes with inspecting DHCP scope activity and pool capacity on the server.
Structured network troubleshooting follows a logical path from local host diagnostics (`ipconfig /all`), to local gateway relay verification (`ip helper-address`), inter-device reachability testing (`ping`), and finally centralized service health checks (DHCP scope status).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Verify client interface state and IP configuration.
Confirms host link status and verifies APIPA (169.254.x.x169.254.x.x) autoconfiguration state.
Establishes baseline host status before analyzing upstream infrastructure.
2
Verify DHCP relay agent settings on the local gateway.
Ensures client DHCP broadcast frames are converted to unicast packets directed to the server.
Routers drop broadcasts by default; missing relay configuration stops DHCP requests at the gateway.
3
Test Layer 3 IP reachability between gateway and DHCP server.
Confirms routing and network path functionality between relay agent and server.
Relay agents cannot deliver unicast DHCPDISCOVER packets if routing to the server is down.
4
Audit server scope status and lease pool availability.
Verifies that the DHCP server can generate valid DHCPOFFER responses for the requested subnet.
Exhausted pools or disabled scopes prevent lease issuance even when requests arrive successfully.

Key Concept

DHCP Relay and IP Address Troubleshooting Sequence
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Topics

Troubleshooting IP Addressing and DHCP Services

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