A VLAN is a virtual local area network that logically separates devices on the same physical network. VLANs can improve network performance, security, and management by reducing broadcast domains and isolating traffic.
A DHCP reservation is a feature that allows a network administrator to assign a specific IP address to a device based on its MAC address. This ensures that the device always receives the same IP address from the DHCP server, even if the lease expires or the device reboots.
A networked printer is a device that can be shared by multiple users on the same network. A networked printer typically has a built-in network interface card (NIC) that allows it to communicate with other devices using TCP/IP protocols.
A print server is a device or a software application that manages the printing requests from multiple clients. A print server can also provide additional features such as print queue management, printer driver installation, and printer status monitoring.
A subnet is a logical division of an IP network that allows devices to communicate more efficiently and securely. A subnet is defined by a network address and a subnet mask, which determine the range of valid IP addresses within the subnet. Devices on the same subnet can communicate directly with each other without the need for a router.
A ping is a network diagnostic tool that tests the connectivity and reachability between two devices by sending and receiving echo packets. A ping request can fail for various reasons, such as network congestion, firewall settings, routing issues, or device configuration errors.
Based on the question, the networked printer is unavailable because it cannot be pinged from the print server in the same subnet. This means that there is a problem with the layer 2 connectivity between the two devices, which is determined by the MAC addresses and the VLANs. The most likely cause of this problem is that the printer and the print server are on different VLANs, which prevents them from communicating with each other. The other options are less likely because they affect the layer 3 connectivity, which is determined by the IP addresses and the gateways. A DNS failure would not affect the ping request, since it uses IP addresses and not hostnames. A DHCP scope exhaustion would not affect the printer, since it has a DHCP reservation that guarantees its IP address. An incorrect gateway would not affect the communication within the same subnet, since it is only used for routing packets to other networks. References:
CompTIA Network+ N10-008 Study Guide, Chapter 2: Network Devices and Technologies, Section 2.2: Network Device Functions and Features, Subsection: Print Servers, pp. 76-77.
CompTIA Network+ N10-008 Study Guide, Chapter 3: Network Operations, Section 3.3: Network Configuration Management, Subsection: DHCP, pp. 144-146.
CompTIA Network+ N10-008 Study Guide, Chapter 4: Network Security, Section 4.2: Network Segmentation and Isolation, Subsection: VLANs, pp. 202-204.
Professor Messer’s CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Course Notes, Section 1.5: Network Troubleshooting Methodology, Subsection: Identify the Problem, pp. 16-17.
Professor Messer’s CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Course Notes, Section 2.2: Network Devices, Subsection: Print Servers, p. 28.
Professor Messer’s CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Course Notes, Section 2.6: Network Addressing, Subsection: DHCP, p. 38.
Professor Messer’s CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Course Notes, Section 2.7: Network Addressing, Subsection: Subnetting, p. 39.
Professor Messer’s CompTIA N10-008 Network+ Course Notes, Section 3.5: Network Segmentation, Subsection: VLANs, p. 58.
