ACSP Network Configuration 2

Question 1

What is the purpose of DNS (Domain Name System) in macOS network configuration?

Accepted Answer

DNS translates human-readable domain names (like apple.com) into numeric IP addresses that computers use to communicate

Answer

DNS encrypts network traffic between the Mac and internet servers for security

Answer

DNS assigns IP addresses to devices on the local network dynamically

Answer

DNS monitors network traffic and blocks access to malicious websites

Question 2

What is a DHCP reservation (also called a static DHCP or DHCP binding) and why is it useful?

Accepted Answer

A DHCP reservation assigns a specific IP address to a device based on its MAC address, ensuring the device always gets the same IP while still using DHCP

Answer

A DHCP reservation reserves a block of IP addresses that cannot be assigned to any device on the network

Answer

A DHCP reservation is a backup DHCP server that activates if the primary server fails

Answer

A DHCP reservation extends the DHCP lease time for a specific device to prevent IP address expiration

Question 3

What is the difference between 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi bands in terms of macOS network performance?

Accepted Answer

5GHz offers higher speeds and less interference but shorter range; 2.4GHz offers longer range but slower speeds and more interference from other devices

Answer

2.4GHz and 5GHz perform identically; the difference is only in power consumption

Answer

5GHz works only outdoors; 2.4GHz is required for indoor use

Answer

2.4GHz is required for Apple devices; 5GHz is for Windows and Android only

Question 4

How do you configure a Mac to use a specific network interface first when multiple network connections are available?

Accepted Answer

In System Settings > Network, use the three-dot menu to set the service order, placing the preferred interface at the top

Answer

Set the preferred interface as 'Primary' in the network interface's Advanced settings

Answer

Use the 'networksetup -ordernetworkservices' command to set priority

Answer

macOS automatically selects the fastest available interface and cannot be manually configured

Question 5

What is mDNS (Multicast DNS) and how does it enable local network device discovery on macOS?

Accepted Answer

mDNS allows devices on the local network to announce and discover services without a central DNS server, using the .local domain suffix (e.g., MacBook.local)

Answer

mDNS is Apple's proprietary protocol for sharing files between Macs on the same network

Answer

mDNS is a security feature that prevents DNS spoofing on local networks

Answer

mDNS is a method of broadcasting DNS queries to all devices on the internet simultaneously

Question 6

A Mac user reports they can access websites by IP address but not by domain name. What is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

DNS resolution is failing — the configured DNS servers are unreachable or returning errors

Answer

The Mac's firewall is blocking web browser traffic

Answer

The DHCP lease has expired and the Mac has a self-assigned IP address

Answer

The Mac's hosts file is overriding all domain lookups with incorrect entries