350-401 Question #1353: Real Exam Question with Answer & Explanation

Question

Refer to the exhibit. An engineer configures a 9800 WLC to act as a local DHCP server for all wireless clients but the clients cannot obtain an IP address from the server. Which action resolves the issue?

Options

• ASet the Management SVI as the DHCP server IP address.
• BSet the SVI for the client VLAN as the DHCP server IP address.
• CSet the reserved IP address as the DHCP server IP address.
• DSet the broadcast IP address as the DHCP server IP address.

Explanation

DHCP Server Configuration on Cisco 9800 WLC

When a Cisco 9800 WLC acts as a local DHCP server, the DHCP server IP address field in the WLAN policy profile must point to the SVI (Switched Virtual Interface) of the client's specific VLAN. This is because the WLC needs a valid gateway/helper address on the same subnet as the wireless clients to process and respond to DHCP Discover broadcasts correctly - without it, the DHCP process fails entirely.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• Option A is incorrect because the Management SVI exists on a different VLAN/subnet than the wireless clients, so it cannot serve as the DHCP server interface for client traffic.
• Option C is incorrect because reserved IP addresses are excluded from the DHCP pool and cannot be used as the server address for responding to client requests.
• Option D is incorrect because a broadcast address (e.g., 255.255.255.255) is not a valid unicast IP address for a DHCP server and cannot be assigned to an interface.

Memory Tip: Think "Client VLAN = Client Service" - the DHCP server IP must live on the same SVI as the clients it serves. If the WLC is doing local DHCP, it needs a "foot in the door" of that specific client VLAN to respond to requests properly.

No community discussion yet for this question.