CCNA Network Services and Security Practice Question
A small office uses a Cisco router as its DHCP server for the 192.168.50.0/24 LAN. The administrator wants client devices to resolve internal hostnames such as printer.office.local without contacting an external resolver first. Which DHCP option should be configured on the router to supply the internal DNS server address to clients?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse the DHCP option that supplies a domain name suffix with the option that supplies the actual DNS server address.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Option 6, the DNS server
DHCP option 6 is the standardized field that conveys DNS server addresses to clients. When the router's DHCP pool includes the internal resolver's address under option 6, clients automatically direct their queries there. The default gateway, domain name, and NTP server options serve routing, suffix, and time synchronization purposes respectively, so none of them provides the DNS resolver address required by the scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Option 42, the NTP server
Why it's wrong here
Option 42 distributes Network Time Protocol server addresses so clients can synchronize their clocks. It is unrelated to hostname resolution. Configuring it would not give clients any DNS server address, so internal names like printer.office.local would still fail to resolve through the intended resolver.
- ✗
Option 3, the default gateway
Why it's wrong here
Option 3 supplies the default gateway address to DHCP clients, which is used for routing traffic off the local subnet. It has nothing to do with name resolution. Configuring it would not deliver a DNS server address, so clients would still lack the internal resolver information needed to resolve printer.office.local.
- ✗
Option 15, the domain name
Why it's wrong here
Option 15 provides a DNS domain name suffix that clients append to unqualified names. It does not supply the address of a DNS server, so clients would not know where to send queries. While useful for suffix resolution, it cannot by itself direct clients to the internal resolver, and thus does not satisfy the requirement.
- ✓
Option 6, the DNS server
Why this is correct
DHCP option 6 carries one or more DNS server addresses to clients. Configuring it on the router's DHCP pool causes clients to send name resolution queries to the specified internal server, allowing them to resolve printer.office.local. This is the standard mechanism for distributing DNS resolver information through DHCP.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
IP Routing Process
Key term
LAN
Local Area Network — a network confined to a single physical location such as an office, building, or campus.
Key term
Router
A router is a networking device that connects different networks together and directs data traffic between them by choosing the best path for data to travel.
About these practice questions
This 200-301 question is part of Courseiva's 1,450-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Cisco exam blueprint
This 200-301 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 200-301 exam.