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220-1201 Practice Question: A customer reports that their network printer is…
A customer reports that their network printer is not accessible from any computer on the network. The printer is connected to a switch via Ethernet, and the switch port LED is blinking green. The technician pings the printer's IP address from a computer and gets no reply. What is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates see a blinking green LED and assume the physical layer is fine, but then incorrectly attribute the ping failure to a faulty cable or port issue, overlooking the IP layer conflict that is the most common cause of unreachable devices with good link indicators.
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 printer has an IP address conflict with another device.
The blinking green LED on the switch port indicates a good physical connection and active link, ruling out a faulty cable or administratively down port. Since the printer is not responding to pings from any computer, the most likely cause is an IP address conflict, where another device on the network is using the same IP address, causing the printer to be unreachable. This conflict can occur due to static IP misconfiguration or a DHCP server assigning the same address to multiple devices.
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 printer's Ethernet cable is faulty.
Why it's wrong here
A faulty Ethernet cable typically manifests as a complete loss of link (LED off), an intermittent link (LED flickering erratically), or an error state (LED amber or red, depending on the switch model). A blinking green LED, conversely, is a clear indicator of a stable physical connection and active data flow at the data link layer. Therefore, a faulty cable is inconsistent with the observation of a continuously blinking green switch port LED, which denotes healthy network traffic.
- ✓
The printer has an IP address conflict with another device.
Why this is correct
An IP address conflict can cause the printer to be unreachable even though the physical connection is good. The switch LED blinks because the printer is sending frames, but the IP stack may be disabled due to the conflict.
- ✗
The switch port is administratively down.
Why it's wrong here
An administratively down switch port is intentionally disabled through configuration, preventing any physical link from being established or maintained. Consequently, the port's LED would be completely off, indicating no physical layer activity or link state. A blinking green LED, however, signifies an active and healthy physical connection with ongoing data transmission, directly contradicting the state of an administratively disabled port.
- ✗
The printer's print spooler service is stopped.
Why it's wrong here
The printer's print spooler service is an application-layer component responsible for managing and queuing print jobs within the operating system. If this service is stopped, the printer would be unable to process print requests, but its underlying network interface card (NIC) and TCP/IP stack would remain fully operational. This means the printer would still maintain a physical link with the switch, respond to network pings, and exhibit a blinking green LED, indicating active network connectivity despite its inability to print.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Mobile Device Types and Features
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.
Key term
Ethernet
Ethernet is a wired networking technology that connects devices like computers, printers, and servers to each other and to the internet using cables.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1201 exam.