TestOut LabSim A+ Certification Practice Exam

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What issue may arise if the link light on a network interface card is on, but the computer is assigned an APIPA address?

DHCP server is unreachable
Duplicate IP address conflict
Network cable is faulty
Firewall preventing access

The correct answer is: DHCP server is unreachable

When the link light on a network interface card is illuminated, it generally indicates that there is a physical connection between the network device and the switch or router. However, if the computer is assigned an APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing) address, it signals that the system could not communicate with a DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) server to obtain an IP address. APIPA addresses are in the range of 169.254.0.1 to 169.254.255.254, which are automatically assigned when a device does not receive a proper address from a DHCP server. This can occur for various reasons, primarily due to the DHCP server being unreachable—either because it is not responding or there are issues in the network path between the client and the server. In this scenario, while the link light being on suggests a physical connection is present, the inability to contact the DHCP server highlights a significant network configuration issue that must be resolved for proper network operation. Therefore, the core issue here relates to the DHCP server's inaccessibility, making this the correct answer.