Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) Practice Exam

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Study for the Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) exam with our comprehensive quiz featuring multiple-choice questions and detailed explanations. Prepare effectively and enhance your understanding of networking concepts!

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What is an important first step when configuring a DHCP server?

Creating the DHCP pool
Setting the DNS server
Excluding address ranges
Specifying a gateway

The correct answer is: Creating the DHCP pool

Creating the DHCP pool is indeed an important first step when configuring a DHCP server. The DHCP pool is essentially a range of IP addresses that the server can assign to clients on the network. By establishing this pool, the server knows which addresses it can allocate dynamically and helps prevent conflicts within the network. Setting up the DHCP pool also involves defining additional configuration parameters such as the subnet mask, default router (gateway), DNS servers, and lease duration. While excluding address ranges, specifying a gateway, and setting the DNS server are also critical tasks that can be performed in the overall configuration process, they typically come after the initial creation of the DHCP pool since the pool forms the foundation of the DHCP server's operation. Thus, starting with the creation of the DHCP pool ensures that you have a structure in place to effectively manage how IP addresses are assigned to devices in the network.