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CCNA Network Services and Security 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 local subnet and enable a DHCP relay agent on a different interface to forward client requests to that server.
⚠ Common exam trap
Do not confuse the order of configuration: the DHCP server must be configured first, then the relay agent. Verification should be performed after both are configured to test end-to-end functionality.
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
✓
Configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, then configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, and finally verify both server and relay functionality.
The DHCP server must be configured first on the local subnet, then the relay agent on the remote interface to forward requests; verification ensures both server and relay function correctly.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, then configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, and finally verify both server and relay functionality.
Why this is correct
The DHCP server must be running and reachable on the local subnet before relay configuration, because the relay agent forwards client broadcasts to a server using a unicast IP address—if the server isn't up, those forwards are wasted. Placing the relay on the remote interface (the one connected to client subnets) ensures that DHCP DISCOVER messages are forwarded to the server via an ip helper-address. Only after both components are in place does verification make sense, as it exercises the full DORA flow from a client on the remote subnet through the relay to the server and back.
- ✗
Configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, then configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, and finally verify both server and relay functionality.
Why it's wrong here
This order is incorrect because the DHCP server must be configured first to ensure it is ready to receive and process relayed requests. Configuring the relay agent first may cause it to forward requests to a non-existent server.
- ✗
Configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, then verify functionality, and finally configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface.
Why it's wrong here
Configuring the server and verifying it before enabling the relay only proves that clients on the same subnet can obtain addresses—it says nothing about the relay's operation. DHCP verification for a multi-subnet deployment must include the relay agent, because a misconfigured relay (wrong interface, missing helper-address, or inbound ACL blocking UDP/68) will silently break remote clients even while the server appears healthy. Thus, this sequence produces a false positive and delays the end-to-end check until after relay is added, making any resulting failure harder to isolate.
- ✗
Configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, then verify functionality, and finally configure the DHCP server on the local subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Configuring the relay agent before the DHCP server is impossible to do correctly, because the relay's ip helper-address command requires the server's IP address as its argument. If you pre-configure the relay with a placeholder or guess, verification will inevitably fail—the forwarded DISCOVER message will be unicast to a destination that is not listening, so no OFFER will return. Additionally, verifying the relay before the server is the wrong order because the relay cannot independently demonstrate functionality without a back-end server to provide addresses; the entire test would be meaningless.
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.
✓Configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, then configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, and finally verify both server and relay functionality.Correct answer▾
Why this is correct
The DHCP server must be running and reachable on the local subnet before relay configuration, because the relay agent forwards client broadcasts to a server using a unicast IP address—if the server isn't up, those forwards are wasted. Placing the relay on the remote interface (the one connected to client subnets) ensures that DHCP DISCOVER messages are forwarded to the server via an ip helper-address. Only after both components are in place does verification make sense, as it exercises the full DORA flow from a client on the remote subnet through the relay to the server and back.
✗Configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, then configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, and finally verify both server and relay functionality.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The DHCP server must be operational before the relay agent is configured; otherwise, relayed requests will be dropped.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think the relay agent should be configured first to prepare the path, but the server must be ready to respond.
✗Configure the DHCP server on the local subnet, then verify functionality, and finally configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Verification after only server configuration does not test the relay agent, which is essential for remote clients.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might believe in incremental verification, but the final verification should encompass both components.
✗Configure the DHCP relay agent on the remote interface, then verify functionality, and finally configure the DHCP server on the local subnet.Wrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The relay agent requires a server to be present; configuring it first leads to incomplete setup and failed verification.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates might think the relay agent should be set up first to handle traffic, but the server must exist first.
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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Key term
DHCP relay
A network device or feature that forwards DHCP broadcast messages between clients and servers on different subnets so that IP address assignment works across multiple network segments without a separate DHCP server on each one.
Key term
DHCP
Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) automatically assigns IP addresses and network settings to devices on a network, so they can communicate without manual configuration.
About these practice questions
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.