A customer has contacted the End User Support Desk where you work. They are complaining they are receiving an error when trying to print and browse the internet stating they don't have network connectivity. After going to their desk and logging onto their machine you run ipconfig /all and see an assigned IP address of 169.254.20.34. Of the following options, what is MOST LIKELY the issue?
When you see an assigned IP address in the 169.254.x.x range (169.254.0.0 through 169.254.255.255), you should immediately think of DHCP issues. This is a reserved address range for Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA), which is a fallback method used by operating systems to self-configure an IP address when they cannot contact a DHCP server. This self-assigned address allows for communication on the local network but does not include a default gateway, meaning the device cannot reach the internet or other networks. The symptoms described by the user align perfectly with a DHCP failure.
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What is DHCP and why is it important for networking?
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What does an IP address of 169.254.x.x indicate?
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What are the common signs of a misconfigured DHCP server?