The answer is nslookup. This is the correct next step because the technician can successfully ping the server by its hostname, confirming basic connectivity and that the server is online, yet the user cannot access it by hostname in a browser—a classic symptom of DNS resolution failure. On the CompTIA Network+ N10-009 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between a network connectivity issue and a name resolution problem; the trap is that a successful ping might lead you to check the web service or firewall first, but since ping uses its own name resolution, the real culprit is often a misconfigured DNS record or a missing A/AAAA entry. nslookup directly queries the DNS server to verify if intranet.company.local resolves to the correct IP address, isolating the fault to the DNS layer. Remember the mnemonic: “Ping works, web fails? nslookup unveils the tales.”
N10-009 Network Troubleshooting Practice Question
This N10-009 practice question tests your understanding of network troubleshooting. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A user reports that they cannot access an internal web server at http://intranet.company.local but can access other internet websites. The technician runs ping intranet.company.local and receives replies successfully. Which tool should the technician use next to isolate the issue?
nslookup queries DNS servers to verify hostname-to-IP resolution, which is the most likely cause when ping succeeds but web access fails.
B
tracert
Why wrong: tracert shows the route packets take to a destination, but since ping succeeded, the network path is functional, so this would not identify a DNS or application issue.
C
netstat
Why wrong: netstat displays current network connections and statistics, but it does not help diagnose name resolution or web server availability.
D
ipconfig
Why wrong: ipconfig shows network configuration on the local host, but since the user can access other internet sites, the local IP configuration is likely correct.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
nslookup
The technician can reach the server by IP (ping succeeds) but not by hostname (http://intranet.company.local), which points to a name resolution failure. nslookup is the correct next step because it queries DNS to verify whether the hostname resolves to the correct IP address, isolating the issue to DNS rather than connectivity or server availability.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
nslookup
Why this is correct
nslookup queries DNS servers to verify hostname-to-IP resolution, which is the most likely cause when ping succeeds but web access fails.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
tracert
Why it's wrong here
tracert shows the route packets take to a destination, but since ping succeeded, the network path is functional, so this would not identify a DNS or application issue.
✗
netstat
Why it's wrong here
netstat displays current network connections and statistics, but it does not help diagnose name resolution or web server availability.
✗
ipconfig
Why it's wrong here
ipconfig shows network configuration on the local host, but since the user can access other internet sites, the local IP configuration is likely correct.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates see successful ping replies and assume the server is fully reachable, overlooking that ping uses ICMP and bypasses hostname resolution if the IP is already cached or manually entered, while HTTP access depends on DNS resolving the hostname to the correct IP.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
tracert shows the route packets take to a destination, but since ping succeeded, the network path is functional, so this would not identify a DNS or application issue.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
nslookup sends a DNS query to the configured DNS server and returns the A or AAAA record for the queried hostname. If the query fails or returns an incorrect IP, the issue is in DNS configuration, such as a missing or stale record, a split-DNS misconfiguration, or a DNS suffix search order problem. In a corporate environment, internal DNS zones (e.g., company.local) are often hosted on internal DNS servers, and misconfigured forwarders or missing delegation can cause resolution failures even when external DNS works.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the N10-009 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this N10-009 question in full detail.
Network Troubleshooting — This question tests Network Troubleshooting — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: nslookup — The technician can reach the server by IP (ping succeeds) but not by hostname (http://intranet.company.local), which points to a name resolution failure. nslookup is the correct next step because it queries DNS to verify whether the hostname resolves to the correct IP address, isolating the issue to DNS rather than connectivity or server availability.
What should I do if I get this N10-009 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A user reports that they can access the company's internal web server by IP address (10.10.10.100) but cannot access it by its hostname (intranet.company.com). The user's workstation is configured with the correct internal DNS server address. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST?
medium
✓ A.Check the DNS server's A record for intranet.company.com
B.Review the firewall rules on the server
C.Run ipconfig /flushdns on the workstation
D.Verify the default gateway configuration
Why A: The user can reach the server by IP but not by hostname, which indicates a DNS resolution problem. Since the workstation is configured with the correct internal DNS server, the most likely cause is a missing or incorrect A record for intranet.company.com on that DNS server. Checking the A record is the logical first step before other troubleshooting.
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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This N10-009 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 N10-009 exam.
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