APIPA
Automatic Private IP Addressing — a 169.254.x.x address a host assigns itself when no DHCP server responds.
Automatic Private IP Addressing (APIPA) assigns a host an address in the 169.254.0.0/16 range when DHCP discovery times out without a server response. The address is link-local only: no default gateway is configured, so traffic cannot be routed beyond the local subnet and internet access is impossible. On the exam, distinguish APIPA from an expired lease that may still hold a routable address temporarily — a 169.254 address is an unambiguous sign that DHCP never succeeded. Spotting it with ipconfig points to scope exhaustion, a downed DHCP server, or a misconfigured relay agent.
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