LPIC-2 Network Client Management Practice Question
You are a system administrator at a small company. The network uses DHCP to assign IP addresses to clients. Recently, some users reported intermittent network connectivity issues. Upon investigation, you notice that the DHCP server is running on a Linux server with the ISC DHCP daemon. The server log shows many 'DHCPREQUEST' messages from a particular MAC address with frequent changes in requested IP addresses. Users with that MAC address are experiencing IP address conflicts and connectivity drops. What is the most likely cause and the best corrective action?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume a software or configuration fix (like static mapping or lease adjustment) will solve what is actually a hardware failure, because the symptom appears as a DHCP protocol anomaly rather than a physical layer problem.
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
✓
Identify the device with that MAC address and replace its network interface card.
The frequent DHCPREQUEST messages from the same MAC address requesting different IP addresses indicate a faulty network interface card (NIC) that is generating random or corrupted DHCP requests, likely due to hardware malfunction. Replacing the NIC eliminates the root cause by stopping the spurious traffic, whereas other options only mask symptoms or fail to address the hardware fault.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the DHCP lease time to reduce the frequency of renewals.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing lease time may reduce renewals but does not stop the problematic device from causing conflicts.
- ✗
Add a static DHCP mapping for the problematic MAC address to a reserved IP.
Why it's wrong here
A static mapping might prevent conflicts but does not stop the faulty device from flooding requests; it could still cause issues.
- ✓
Identify the device with that MAC address and replace its network interface card.
Why this is correct
The faulty NIC is likely sending multiple requests, causing conflicts. Replacing it resolves the issue.
- ✗
Restart the DHCP daemon to clear the lease database.
Why it's wrong here
Restarting might temporarily clear leases but the problematic device will cause the same issue again.
Visual reference
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
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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.