This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of network client management. 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 DHCP client reports it cannot obtain an IP address. The Ethernet cable is connected and the interface is up. The administrator runs 'dhclient eth0' but gets 'No DHCPOFFERS received'. The network has a DHCP server on the same subnet. Which command should the administrator use next to diagnose the problem?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "which command"
Why it matters: Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Run 'route -n' to see if a default route exists.
Why wrong: Not relevant to initial DHCP.
Run 'netstat -i eth0' to check packet errors.
Why wrong: Unlikely to show DHCP offers.
Run 'tcpdump -i eth0 port 67 or port 68' to monitor DHCP packets.
Captures DHCP traffic to identify issue.
Run 'ifconfig eth0' to check the interface status.
Why wrong: Already done; interface is up.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Run 'tcpdump -i eth0 port 67 or port 68' to monitor DHCP packets.
Option C is correct because the client is not receiving DHCPOFFERs, indicating a network-level issue with DHCP traffic. Using tcpdump to capture packets on ports 67 (BOOTP server) and 68 (BOOTP client) allows the administrator to see if DHCPDISCOVER packets are leaving the client and whether any DHCPOFFER packets arrive from the server. This directly isolates whether the problem is a lack of server response, packet filtering, or a misconfigured relay agent.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Run 'route -n' to see if a default route exists.
Why it's wrong here
Not relevant to initial DHCP.
Run 'netstat -i eth0' to check packet errors.
Why it's wrong here
Unlikely to show DHCP offers.
Run 'tcpdump -i eth0 port 67 or port 68' to monitor DHCP packets.
Why this is correct
Captures DHCP traffic to identify issue.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "which command" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Run 'ifconfig eth0' to check the interface status.
Why it's wrong here
Already done; interface is up.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often jump to checking interface status or routing, but the core issue is that DHCP is a broadcast-based protocol on the local link, so packet capture is the definitive way to verify whether the client's DISCOVER is reaching the server and whether the server's OFFER is returning.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Unlikely to show DHCP offers.
Detailed technical explanation
DHCP uses UDP ports 67 (server) and 68 (client), and the initial DHCPDISCOVER is sent as a broadcast (destination IP 255.255.255.255) because the client has no IP address. If a DHCP server is on the same subnet, it should respond with a unicast DHCPOFFER; if no OFFER is received, common causes include a firewall blocking broadcast traffic, a misconfigured DHCP server scope, or a switch port with DHCP snooping enabled. Tcpdump captures all packets on the wire, so it can reveal whether the server is actually sending responses that are being dropped by the client's firewall or network stack.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
What to study next
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FAQ
Network Client Management — This question tests Network Client Management — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Run 'tcpdump -i eth0 port 67 or port 68' to monitor DHCP packets. — Option C is correct because the client is not receiving DHCPOFFERs, indicating a network-level issue with DHCP traffic. Using tcpdump to capture packets on ports 67 (BOOTP server) and 68 (BOOTP client) allows the administrator to see if DHCPDISCOVER packets are leaving the client and whether any DHCPOFFER packets arrive from the server. This directly isolates whether the problem is a lack of server response, packet filtering, or a misconfigured relay agent.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "which command". Tests specific CLI syntax. Recall the exact command and its required context — near-synonyms and partial matches are common distractors.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This LPIC-2 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 LPIC-2 exam.
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