220-1201 Practice Question: That they cannot access a website hosted on a…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

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  Ping

  Why it's wrong here

  Ping is a fundamental network utility that leverages Internet Control Message Protocol (ICMP) echo requests and replies to assess the basic reachability of an IP host on a network. While it can confirm if a device is online and responsive at the network layer, Ping operates independently of TCP ports. Consequently, it cannot determine if a specific application service, such as a web server, is actively listening on its designated TCP port (e.g., 80 or 443) or if a firewall is selectively blocking that particular port, making it unsuitable for diagnosing service-level connectivity issues.

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  Telnet

  Why this is correct

  Telnet is a versatile command-line utility that can establish a raw Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) connection to a specified host and port number. By attempting to connect to a web server's IP address on its standard HTTP (port 80) or HTTPS (port 443) port, an administrator can directly verify if the server is actively listening for connections on that specific port. A successful connection, even if no data is subsequently exchanged, definitively indicates that the port is open and a service is running, thereby helping to isolate whether the problem lies with network connectivity to the port or a higher-level application issue.

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  Nslookup

  Why it's wrong here

  Nslookup (Name Server Lookup) is a dedicated network administration command-line tool designed exclusively for querying the Domain Name System (DNS). Its primary function is to resolve domain names to IP addresses, obtain IP address to domain name mappings, or retrieve other specific DNS resource records. While accurate DNS resolution is a prerequisite for accessing websites, Nslookup provides no mechanism or capability to test the status of specific ports on the resolved IP address, nor can it determine if a service is listening on those ports.

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  Tracert

  Why it's wrong here

  Tracert (Traceroute) is a diagnostic tool that maps the network path and measures the transit delays of packets across an Internet Protocol (IP) network. It identifies each router (hop) that packets traverse from the source to the destination, along with the round-trip time for each hop, which is invaluable for pinpointing network latency or routing problems. However, Tracert, similar to Ping, primarily utilizes ICMP and does not establish a TCP connection to a specific port, rendering it incapable of assessing whether a web server's application port is open and actively responding to connection attempts.