mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: That they can access internal resources using IP…
A user reports that they can access internal resources using IP addresses but cannot access them using hostnames. Other users on the same network have no issues. What is the most likely cause?
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
✓
The user's DNS settings are incorrect
The ability to use IP addresses but not hostnames points to a DNS resolution problem on the user's device. This could be due to a misconfigured DNS server address in the network settings or a local hosts file issue. Other users working normally suggests the problem is client-specific.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The DHCP server is out of addresses
Why it's wrong here
If the DHCP server were exhausted, the user would fail to obtain an IP address, subnet mask, and default gateway, rendering them unable to communicate on the network at all. The ability to access internal resources, even by IP, confirms that the user has a valid network configuration. Thus, a DHCP address pool depletion is not the cause of hostname resolution issues.
- ✗
The DNS server is down
Why it's wrong here
A complete outage of the DNS server would prevent all clients configured to use it from resolving hostnames, impacting numerous users across the network segment. Since the problem specifies only one user is experiencing this particular issue, it is highly improbable that the entire DNS server is offline. Such a widespread failure would manifest as a much broader network problem.
- ✓
The user's DNS settings are incorrect
Why this is correct
When a user's device has incorrect or missing DNS server entries, it cannot translate human-readable hostnames into their corresponding IP addresses. However, if the user can still access internal resources by their direct IP addresses, it confirms that basic network connectivity and IP configuration are functional. This specific scenario precisely indicates a client-side DNS configuration problem, where the device simply doesn't know where to ask for hostname resolution.
- ✗
The router's NAT is misconfigured
Why it's wrong here
Network Address Translation (NAT) is primarily responsible for modifying IP address information in packet headers as they traverse between a private network and a public network, typically the internet. A misconfiguration in NAT would specifically hinder a user's ability to access external web resources or services outside the local network. It has no direct bearing on resolving hostnames or accessing resources that reside within the internal network segment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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