CyberCertPrepNetwork FundamentalsIP Addressing & SubnettingEASYFree question
A junior technician reports that a PC's IP address shows 169.254.44.10 after running ipconfig. The technician asks you what this means. What is the correct explanation?
- A.This is a valid static IP configured by the administrator
- B.This is an IPv6 link-local address in IPv4 format
- C.This is an APIPA address; the PC failed to get an IP from DHCP and self-assigned a link-local address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range, meaning it cannot communicate beyond the local segment
- D.This indicates the PC is in a DMZ subnet
Why C is correct
APIPA (Automatic Private IP Addressing, RFC 3927) assigns addresses from 169.254.0.0/16 when a Windows host cannot reach a DHCP server. The PC can communicate with other APIPA hosts on the same segment but cannot reach the internet or other subnets. Fix: check DHCP server availability, check the cable/VLAN, or configure a static IP.
Know someone studying for Network Fundamentals? Send them this one.