220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Question
A technician relocates a workstation to a different office. The workstation's link light on the NIC is solid green, and the switch port link light is also solid. The workstation shows a valid IP address but cannot ping any other devices on the network, including the default gateway. The technician verifies that the IP configuration is correct and that other devices on the same switch can communicate. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates see solid link lights and a valid IP address and assume Layer 1 and Layer 3 are fine, overlooking the Layer 2 VLAN misconfiguration that isolates the workstation despite correct IP settings.
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 switch port is configured for a different VLAN
The link lights are solid on both the NIC and switch port, indicating Layer 1 (physical) connectivity is intact. A valid IP address but inability to ping any devices, including the gateway, while other devices on the same switch communicate normally, points to a Layer 2 segmentation issue. The most likely cause is that the switch port is configured for a different VLAN, which isolates the workstation's broadcast domain and prevents it from reaching devices outside that VLAN, including the default gateway.
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 Ethernet cable is faulty
Why it's wrong here
A faulty Ethernet cable would typically cause the link lights to be absent or blink intermittently, but the scenario states both link lights are solid. Solid link lights indicate that the physical layer is functional and the cable successfully passes link pulses. Since the issue is about logical connectivity (inability to reach any device, including the gateway) rather than a physical connection problem, a faulty cable is highly unlikely to be the cause.
- ✗
The workstation has a duplicate IP address
Why it's wrong here
A duplicate IP address would cause an IP conflict, usually resulting in a warning and possibly loss of connectivity. However, the workstation obtained a valid IP and the symptom is inability to communicate with any device, including the gateway, which is more indicative of a VLAN or subnet mismatch.
- ✓
The switch port is configured for a different VLAN
Why this is correct
If the switch port is in a VLAN that does not match the workstation's subnet, the workstation will not be able to reach devices on other VLANs (including the default gateway) even though Layer 1 connectivity exists. The link lights only indicate a physical connection, not logical connectivity.
- ✗
The subnet mask is incorrect
Why it's wrong here
The scenario explicitly notes that the technician verified the IP configuration is correct, which includes the subnet mask. An incorrect subnet mask could indeed prevent communication, but it would do so by making the workstation misclassify the network and host portions of its IP address, potentially causing it to believe the gateway is on a different subnet. However, since the configuration is confirmed correct, this option is not the source of the problem.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.