LPIC-2 Network Client Management Practice Question
An administrator wants to ensure that a Linux client sends all DNS queries to a specific DNS server without relying on DHCP-provided DNS servers. Which configuration files should be modified?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume editing /etc/resolv.conf directly is sufficient, but they fail to recognize that DHCP clients or network management tools will overwrite it, making the change non-persistent unless the DHCP client is explicitly configured to ignore or supersede the provided DNS servers.
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
✓
Edit /etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf to add 'supersede domain-name-servers <desired IP>;'
The dhclient.conf file allows an administrator to override DHCP-provided DNS servers using the 'supersede' directive. This forces the DHCP client to ignore the DNS servers received from the DHCP server and instead use the manually specified DNS server when writing /etc/resolv.conf. This is a standard method for controlling DNS resolution on systems using dhclient.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure NetworkManager to ignore DNS from DHCP and set the DNS manually in the connection profile
Why it's wrong here
This works if NetworkManager is used, but the question does not specify NetworkManager; dhclient.conf is a more direct method.
- ✓
Edit /etc/dhcp/dhclient.conf to add 'supersede domain-name-servers <desired IP>;'
Why this is correct
This overrides DHCP-provided DNS servers and ensures the client uses the specified DNS.
- ✗
Edit /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts/ifcfg-eth0 and set PEERDNS=no and DNS1=<desired IP>
Why it's wrong here
This is distribution-specific and may not work if the DHCP client is not configured to respect those settings.
- ✗
Edit /etc/resolv.conf and set the nameserver to the desired IP
Why it's wrong here
The DHCP client may overwrite resolv.conf upon lease renewal.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.