mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
220-1201 Practice Question: A technician is troubleshooting a user's computer…
A technician is troubleshooting a user's computer that cannot access a web server at 10.10.10.50. The user's IP is 10.10.20.15 with subnet mask 255.255.0.0. The technician can ping 10.10.10.50 from the user's computer. What should the technician check next?
⚠ Common exam trap
This question tests the distinction between Layer 3 reachability (ping) and Layer 4/7 application access (HTTP). It is common to assume a client-side issue when the server's firewall is actually blocking the specific traffic.
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 web server's firewall settings.
Since the technician can successfully ping the web server (10.10.10.50) from the user's computer, Layer 3 connectivity is verified. This rules out issues with the user's IP configuration, subnet mask, and default gateway. The problem is therefore specific to the web server's firewall blocking HTTP/HTTPS traffic (port 80/443) while allowing ICMP (ping). Checking the web server's firewall settings is the logical next step.
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 default gateway setting on the user's computer.
Why it's wrong here
If the user's computer can successfully ping the web server, it confirms that basic IP-level connectivity and routing are functioning correctly between the client and the server. The default gateway is crucial for directing traffic to destinations outside the local subnet. A misconfigured or incorrect default gateway would invariably prevent any communication with devices on remote networks, including the ability to successfully ping the server. Therefore, the default gateway setting is unlikely to be the cause of the web access failure.
- ✓
The web server's firewall settings.
Why this is correct
The ability to successfully ping the web server indicates that fundamental network connectivity and IP routing are established at the network layer. However, ping (ICMP) operates on a different protocol and port than HTTP (TCP port 80 or 443). A firewall on the web server is frequently configured to permit ICMP echo requests for diagnostic purposes while explicitly blocking incoming HTTP/HTTPS traffic, either for security or if the web service is not intended to be publicly accessible. This scenario precisely explains why ICMP works but web browsing fails.
- ✗
The user's IP address for a conflict.
Why it's wrong here
An IP address conflict occurs when two or more devices on the same network are assigned the identical IP address, leading to communication issues. This typically results in highly intermittent or complete loss of network connectivity for one or both conflicting devices, manifesting as dropped packets, connection resets, or an inability to establish any stable communication. Since the user's computer can consistently and successfully ping the web server, it strongly suggests that its IP address is unique and not experiencing a conflict with another device on the network.
- ✗
The subnet mask on the user's computer.
Why it's wrong here
A misconfigured subnet mask would prevent the user's computer from correctly determining whether the web server resides on the local network or a remote network that requires routing through a gateway. If the mask incorrectly places the server outside the local subnet, direct communication would fail, and if it incorrectly places a remote server on the local subnet, ARP requests would fail. Since the user can successfully ping the server, the subnet mask is correctly configured to allow IP-level communication, either directly or via the default gateway, ruling it out as the problem.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Mobile Device Connectivity
Key term
HTTPS
HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) is the secure version of HTTP that encrypts data between a web browser and a web server using SSL/TLS protocols.
Key term
Firewall
A firewall is a network security system that monitors and controls incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules to protect trusted internal networks from untrusted external networks.
About these practice questions
This 220-1201 question is part of Courseiva's 972-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 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.