easyMultiple Choice
FC0-U71 A technician installs a new network printer Practice Question
A technician installs a new network printer. It can communicate with other computers on the same network but no one outside the network can access it. What is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse a firewall blocking external traffic with a network connectivity issue, such as a faulty cable or missing IP address, but the key clue is that local communication works fine, isolating the problem to external access control.
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
✓
Firewall blocking external traffic
A firewall is designed to control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. If the printer can communicate locally but not with external networks, the most likely cause is that the firewall is blocking inbound traffic from outside the local subnet, preventing external devices from reaching the printer's IP address or port.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Firewall blocking external traffic
Why this is correct
Internal communication succeeds, so the printer, cabling and local addressing are fine. The failure is confined to external access, which points to a firewall or perimeter rule blocking inbound traffic from outside the local network, rather than a hardware or driver fault.
- ✗
Incorrect printer driver
Why it's wrong here
A driver mismatch would prevent the printer from printing correctly from a given client, yet local machines communicate with it, so the driver is functional. It is tempting because driver installation is the correct fix when a printer is reachable but jobs fail or render incorrectly.
- ✗
No IP address configured
Why it's wrong here
Without an IP address the printer could not communicate with local computers at all, so this contradicts the stated symptom. It is tempting because a missing or misconfigured IP address is the correct cause when a device is completely unreachable on the network.
- ✗
Faulty Ethernet cable
Why it's wrong here
A faulty Ethernet cable would break all connectivity, including the working local communication described. It is tempting because cabling faults are the correct cause when a device shows no link or cannot reach any host, including those on the same subnet.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.