This question
tests the basic IP troubleshooting knowledge of a network
support specialist or administrator with only a couple of
years experience who would be working in a Windows network
environment. The question also requires a basic understanding
of configuring a Windows client with the appropriate DNS
settings.
A
user contacts you and reports that their Windows 2000 workstation
is having trouble connecting to the Web. You run the ipconfig
/all command on the computer and you find that the computer
is not referencing the correct primary DNS server, what
must you do to remedy this?
a.
Create a host record for the computer on the DNS server.
b. Use ping to check the connection between the computer
and the DNS server.
c. Check the primary DNS setting in the IP configuration
of the computer.
d. Test the DNS server using the DNS snap-in.
First, I would
think any candidate would comment that ipconfig/all provides
a more complete listing of a network client's IP configuration
than just ipconfig. If they say something about not understanding
the /all switch on the command, you probably want to thank
the candidate for their time and buy them a bus ticket home.
Now to the meat of the question:
Answer
A is incorrect
because the host record for a computer does not dictate
the primary DNS server it should query to resolve "friendly"
DNS names to IP addresses.
Answer
B is incorrect
because the Ping command can only check the connection between
two devices it has no bearing on the settings on the host
computer. Even if the workstation can "see" the DNS server
using the Ping command, this doesn't mean that it is using
the DNS server to resolve host names to IP addresses (or
IP addresses to host names).
Answer
C is correct,
if ipconfig shows a setting for default DNS server other
than what you want, this means that the computer's IP configuration
is incorrect. So, the Windows 2000 client computer needs
to be reconfigured. A candidate that could also point out
that the DNS configuration for the client computer is set
in the Internet Protocol Properties dialog box (reached
through the Local Area Connections dialog box) would also
show that they know their way around a Windows 2000 IP configuration.
Answer
D is incorrect
because testing the DNS server using the DNS snap in has
no bearing on client settings or whether the client is configured
to use the DNS server as a resource. I guess you would have
to give the candidate at least a nod for knowing that DNS
on a Windows 2000 Server is configured through the snap
in.
About the author
Joe Habraken has been an active participant in the Information
Technology field for over 15 years. Joe has served as a
network administrator, instructor, and best selling author.
He currently serves as the Director of UNEit, which is the
computer technology training center at the University of
New England in Portland ME. Joe also serves as a Technical
Director for ReviewNet. He recently published two new books
with Que/Pearson Education: Microsoft
Office XP 8 in 1, and the Absolute
Beginner's Guide to Networking.
