LPIC-2 DNS, Web and Mail Services Practice Question
This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of dns, web and mail services. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 system administrator notices that clients on the internal network can resolve the company's web server's hostname (www.example.com) using the internal DNS server (192.168.1.10), but external clients are unable to resolve it. The company uses BIND9 on an Ubuntu server. Which of the following configuration changes should be made on the DNS server to allow external resolution?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Add a 'listen-on' statement for the external IP address.
Option A is correct because the BIND9 DNS server is likely only listening on the internal IP address (192.168.1.10) by default, so external queries never reach the server. Adding a 'listen-on' statement for the external IP address (e.g., the public IP assigned to the server's external interface) allows BIND to accept and respond to DNS queries from external clients on that address, enabling external resolution of www.example.com.
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.
✓
Add a 'listen-on' statement for the external IP address.
Why this is correct
The server must listen on the external interface to receive queries from outside.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Enable recursion by setting 'recursion yes'.
Why it's wrong here
Recursion is for non-authoritative queries; the server is authoritative for the domain.
✗
Set the 'allow-query' option to 'any' in the options block.
Why it's wrong here
allow-query controls who can query; internal clients already succeed, so this is not the issue.
✗
Add an A record for www.example.com in the reverse zone.
Why it's wrong here
Reverse zone maps IP to hostname, not needed for forward resolution.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'listen-on' with 'allow-query' or recursion settings, mistakenly thinking that enabling recursion or opening query permissions is sufficient, when the server must first be reachable on the external IP address to accept any queries at all.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In BIND9, the 'listen-on' directive specifies the IP addresses on which the named daemon listens for incoming DNS queries; by default, it often listens only on localhost or the internal interface. For external resolution, the server must have a public IP address configured on an interface and BIND must be told to listen on that address via 'listen-on { public_ip; };'. Additionally, the 'allow-query' option must permit external clients (e.g., 'any;'), and the zone must be configured for external access (e.g., not restricted to internal networks). In real-world scenarios, administrators often use separate views (internal vs. external) to serve different zone data, but the fundamental requirement is that BIND listens on the external interface.
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 LPIC-2 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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
DNS, Web and Mail Services — This question tests DNS, Web and Mail Services — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Add a 'listen-on' statement for the external IP address. — Option A is correct because the BIND9 DNS server is likely only listening on the internal IP address (192.168.1.10) by default, so external queries never reach the server. Adding a 'listen-on' statement for the external IP address (e.g., the public IP assigned to the server's external interface) allows BIND to accept and respond to DNS queries from external clients on that address, enabling external resolution of www.example.com.
What should I do if I get this LPIC-2 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.
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Question Discussion
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