What could happen if two DHCP servers are operating on the same network?

• A. Network speed will increase
• B. Devices may receive conflicting network configurations
• C. All devices will be guaranteed to receive an address
• D. Network resources will be less available

Answer: (B)

When two DHCP servers operate on the same network, the most significant risk is that devices may receive conflicting network configurations. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) is responsible for assigning IP addresses and other configuration settings to devices on a network. Each DHCP server maintains its own pool of IP addresses to allocate.

If two DHCP servers are active, they may attempt to assign the same IP addresses to different devices, leading to address conflicts. This can cause connectivity issues for those devices because they would have the same IP address as another device on the network, thereby preventing proper communication. This scenario results in unreliable network performance and challenges in identifying devices on the network.

The other options do not accurately reflect the main issue that arises from having multiple DHCP servers on the same network. Network speed increasing is not a consequence of multiple servers, as the conflicting configurations actually hinder performance. Furthermore, there is no guarantee that all devices will receive an address; in fact, some may not receive any configuration at all if an address conflict occurs. Finally, having two DHCP servers does not inherently affect network resource availability; instead, it creates confusion and potential failures in assignment.