220-802 · Question #780
A new LAN drop has been activated but users report that they are unable to connect to the Internet and are receiving an IP address of 169.254.255.55 from that Windows workstation. Which of the…
The correct answer is A. DHCP server unavailable D. APIPA address assigned. A 169.254.x.x address is an APIPA self-assigned address that Windows assigns automatically when it cannot reach a DHCP server, indicating both DHCP unavailability and limited connectivity.
Question
A new LAN drop has been activated but users report that they are unable to connect to the Internet and are receiving an IP address of 169.254.255.55 from that Windows workstation. Which of the following symptoms has occurred? (Select TWO).
Options
- ADHCP server unavailable
- BIP address assigned by NAT
- CLimited connectivity
- DAPIPA address assigned
- EIP conflict detected
- FStatically assigned IP address
How the community answered
(55 responses)- A89% (49)
- B2% (1)
- C4% (2)
- E5% (3)
Why each option
A 169.254.x.x address is an APIPA self-assigned address that Windows assigns automatically when it cannot reach a DHCP server, indicating both DHCP unavailability and limited connectivity.
When a Windows workstation cannot contact a DHCP server, it falls back to APIPA and self-assigns an address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range. The root cause is that the DHCP server is unreachable - in this case likely because the new LAN drop is not properly connected to the network infrastructure.
NAT translates private IP addresses to a public IP for outbound traffic; it does not assign 169.254.x.x addresses to clients.
Limited connectivity is a symptom resulting from the APIPA address, but the question asks for the specific symptoms that have occurred - DHCP unavailability and APIPA assignment are the direct identifiable conditions.
The address 169.254.255.55 is within the APIPA range (169.254.0.0 - 169.254.255.255), confirming the workstation used APIPA to assign itself an address after failing to reach a DHCP server.
An IP conflict produces an error notification and typically disables the network adapter; it does not result in a 169.254.x.x address assignment.
A statically assigned address is manually configured by an administrator and would not be in the 169.254.x.x range unless intentionally set.
Concept tested: APIPA addressing when DHCP server is unreachable
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/troubleshoot/windows-server/networking/apipa-and-how-to-disable-it
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