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CCNA DHCP pool Practice Question
Drag and drop the following steps into the correct order to configure a Cisco IOS-XE router as a DHCP server for a client VLAN and then enable a DHCP relay agent on a different interface to forward client requests to a remote server.
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often mistakenly create the DHCP pool before excluding addresses, leading to the server leasing addresses intended to be reserved. Always configure exclusions first, then the pool, then relay, then verify.
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
✓
Enter global configuration mode, exclude addresses, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, and verify.
The correct order for configuring a Cisco IOS-XE router as a DHCP server and relay agent is: first exclude addresses to prevent the DHCP server from leasing reserved IPs, then create and configure the DHCP pool (network, default gateway), next enable DHCP relay on the required interface, and finally verify. Only Option D follows this sequence exactly. Options A, B, and C are incorrect because they either place exclusion after pool creation (A) or enable relay before the pool is fully configured (B and C), which can lead to address conflicts or forwarding issues.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enter global configuration mode, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, exclude addresses, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, and verify.
Why it's wrong here
Here the pool is created and its network/default gateway are set, but exclusion is postponed until after pool creation. In Cisco IOS, a DHCP pool can be created without exclusions, and if the service is active or the pool is used before the exclusion is added, the server may lease out addresses intended for static assignment, leading to conflicts. Enabling relay last does not mitigate this risk because the pool is already operational with an incomplete address reservation policy.
When this WOULD be correct
This sequence is used when configuring a Cisco IOS-XE router to act as a DHCP server for a local VLAN and also as a DHCP relay agent on another interface to forward requests to a remote DHCP server.
- ✗
Enter global configuration mode, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, exclude addresses, and verify.
Why it's wrong here
This option enables DHCP relay on the interface before any DHCP pool is created. At this point, the relay agent will receive client discover messages but has no valid pool configuration on the server to forward them to, causing all DHCP requests to fail or time out. Furthermore, exclusion is placed after the pool is created, so the server could issue addresses that were meant to be reserved. The relay must be enabled only after the pool and its network/default gateway are fully defined.
- ✗
Enter global configuration mode, create the DHCP pool, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, configure the network and default gateway, exclude addresses, and verify.
Why it's wrong here
This sequence creates the DHCP pool but then enables DHCP relay before the network and default gateway are configured. The relay agent can forward client broadcasts, but the server has no subnet definition to match the giaddr to, so requests are likely to be dropped or time out. Additionally, exclusion occurs only after pool creation, leaving a window where addresses reserved for static devices could be leased out, causing IP conflicts.
- ✓
Enter global configuration mode, exclude addresses, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, and verify.
Why this is correct
This is the correct sequence because exclusion is configured first, reserving static addresses before any pool exists, which prevents the DHCP server from ever offering them. Then the pool is created with the network and default gateway, giving the server complete subnet information. Only after the pool is fully valid is DHCP relay enabled on the interface, ensuring forwarded client requests can be immediately served. This ordering avoids address conflicts and relay forwarding failures.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 200-301 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Enter global configuration mode, exclude addresses, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, and verify.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
This is the correct sequence because exclusion is configured first, reserving static addresses before any pool exists, which prevents the DHCP server from ever offering them. Then the pool is created with the network and default gateway, giving the server complete subnet information. Only after the pool is fully valid is DHCP relay enabled on the interface, ensuring forwarded client requests can be immediately served. This ordering avoids address conflicts and relay forwarding failures.
✗Enter global configuration mode, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, exclude addresses, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, and verify.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Configuring the pool before exclusions risks the DHCP server assigning an excluded address before the exclusion takes effect.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
This sequence is used when configuring a Cisco IOS-XE router to act as a DHCP server for a local VLAN and also as a DHCP relay agent on another interface to forward requests to a remote DHCP server.
✗Enter global configuration mode, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, create the DHCP pool, configure the network and default gateway, exclude addresses, and verify.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is that DHCP relay is configured after the DHCP pool, not before. The order of operations should first establish the DHCP server functionality before configuring relay.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think that relay configuration is independent and can be done at any time, but the standard practice is to configure the server first to ensure the router is ready to serve addresses before forwarding requests.
✗Enter global configuration mode, create the DHCP pool, enable DHCP relay on the required interface, configure the network and default gateway, exclude addresses, and verify.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The specific factual error is that the network and default gateway are configured inside the DHCP pool, and excluding addresses should come after the pool is fully defined. Placing relay before the pool configuration is also out of order.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might mistakenly think that DHCP relay configuration is part of the pool configuration or that the order of pool commands doesn't matter, but the correct order is to define the pool parameters first, then exclude addresses.
Analysis generated from the official 200-301blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Configuring AAA with TACACS+ and RADIUS on IOS XE
Key term
DHCP pool
A DHCP pool is a reserved set of IP addresses that a DHCP server can assign to devices on a network automatically when they request a connection.
Key term
Default gateway
A default gateway is a network device, typically a router, that acts as the exit point for traffic from a local network to other networks, including the internet.
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Courseiva writes every 200-301 question from scratch — 1,389 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.