LPIC-1 Essential System Services and Networking Practice Question
A company runs a critical web application on a Linux server (Ubuntu 20.04) with Apache and MySQL. The server has two network interfaces: eth0 (public IP) and eth1 (private IP). Recently, the application has been experiencing intermittent connectivity issues. Users report that the web page sometimes loads slowly or times out. The administrator checks the network configuration and finds the following: eth0 is configured with a static IP 203.0.113.10/24, gateway 203.0.113.1; eth1 is configured with a static IP 10.0.0.10/24, no gateway. The administrator runs 'ip route show' and sees: default via 203.0.113.1 dev eth0, 10.0.0.0/24 dev eth1 proto kernel scope link src 10.0.0.10 metric 100. The administrator also notices that the system's /etc/resolv.conf contains nameserver 8.8.8.8 and nameserver 8.8.4.4. The MySQL server is configured to listen on 127.0.0.1. What is the most likely cause of the intermittent connectivity issues?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates may incorrectly attribute the issue to DNS misconfiguration or interface misrouting, overlooking that the default route via eth0 makes the public interface the single point of failure for internet-bound traffic, and that intermittent symptoms point to network path degradation rather than configuration errors.
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 public network interface (eth0) is experiencing high latency or packet loss due to ISP issues.
The intermittent connectivity issues described (slow page loads and timeouts) are classic symptoms of high latency or packet loss on the public network path. The routing table shows a default gateway via eth0 (203.0.113.1), which is the only path to the internet, and the DNS servers (8.8.8.8, 8.8.4.4) are external, so any degradation on eth0 would directly impact web application responsiveness. The administrator's observation that eth0 is configured with a static IP and gateway, combined with no alternative route, points to ISP-level issues as the most likely cause.
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 private network interface (eth1) is misconfigured, causing traffic to be routed incorrectly.
Why it's wrong here
Private interface configuration seems correct for internal network.
- ✗
The DNS servers are not reachable, causing delays in name resolution.
Why it's wrong here
DNS servers are reachable via default route, but intermittent timeouts are more likely due to network congestion on the public interface.
- ✓
The public network interface (eth0) is experiencing high latency or packet loss due to ISP issues.
Why this is correct
Intermittent connectivity issues are often caused by problems with the external link.
- ✗
The MySQL server is listening on localhost, but should listen on the private IP for better performance.
Why it's wrong here
MySQL on localhost is fine; not related to intermittent connectivity.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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