XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
An administrator wants to test SMTP connectivity to a mail server without actually delivering an email. Which curl command is most appropriate?
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
✓
curl -v smtp://mail.example.com:25
curl -v smtp://mail.example.com:25 connects to SMTP and shows handshake. -I sends HEAD, not SMTP. --resolve is for DNS override.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
curl --resolve mail.example.com:25:10.0.0.1 smtp://mail.example.com
Why it's wrong here
This overrides DNS but still doesn't test SMTP handshake properly without -v.
- ✓
curl -v smtp://mail.example.com:25
Why this is correct
curl can handle smtp:// and shows verbose output.
- ✗
curl -o /dev/null smtp://mail.example.com
Why it's wrong here
Output to /dev/null, but still not showing handshake.
- ✗
curl -I smtp://mail.example.com
Why it's wrong here
-I sends HTTP HEAD request, not SMTP.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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