Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A technician is troubleshooting a user's inability to connect to a server. The technician runs 'tracert' from the user's workstation and sees that traffic stops at a particular router. The last hop shows a timeout. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
The destination server is powered off.
If the server were off, tracert would reach the server's subnet and then time out at the last hop, not at an intermediate router.
B
Distractor review
The router is blocking ICMP echo requests.
Blocking ICMP would cause the router to not respond, but traffic might still be forwarded; subsequent hops would appear with timeouts at that router.
C
Distractor review
There is a routing loop.
A routing loop would cause repeated hops between routers, not a single stop with timeouts.
D
Best answer
The next hop router is unreachable from that router.
If the router cannot reach the next hop, it cannot forward packets further, causing tracert to hang at that router.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A network engineer needs to connect two switches located 400 meters apart. The cable run includes high electromagnetic interference from nearby machinery. The engineer decides to use fiber optic cabling. Which transceiver type and fiber combination should be used to ensure the link reaches 400 meters while remaining cost-effective?
Question 2
A network engineer is designing a new switched network and needs to ensure that broadcast traffic from one department does not reach another department's workstations. The engineer plans to use VLANs. Which of the following must be configured on the switches to isolate broadcast domains as intended?
Question 3
A security engineer is configuring a site-to-site VPN between two branch offices. The requirement is to encrypt all traffic between the two networks using IPsec. Which IPsec mode should be used to encrypt the entire IP packet including the original header?
Question 4
A network administrator is connecting two switches to increase bandwidth and provide redundancy. Which technology should be used to combine multiple physical links into a single logical link?
Question 5
A network administrator is experiencing issues where unauthorized devices are offering IP addresses to clients, causing connectivity problems. Which security feature should be enabled on switches to prevent this?
Question 6
A network administrator is troubleshooting a connectivity issue and suspects the problem is related to the physical cabling. At which layer of the OSI model should the administrator begin their investigation?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this N10-009 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The next hop router is unreachable from that router. — When tracert shows timeouts at a specific router, it often indicates that the router is not forwarding packets, or the next hop is unreachable. This could be due to a routing issue, ACL blocking traffic, or a down interface. Option D is the most direct explanation. Option A would cause timeouts at the destination, not at an intermediate router. Option B might cause the router to not reply to ICMP, but that would show a timeout at that hop, not necessarily stop all traffic; however, if the router is blocking ICMP but still forwarding, subsequent hops would appear. Since traffic stops, it is more likely a forwarding issue. Option C would show repeating hops.
What should I do if I get this N10-009 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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