CKA Storage Practice Question
Which access mode allows a PersistentVolume to be mounted as read-write by multiple pods across different nodes?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse ReadWriteOnce (RWO) with the ability to mount across nodes, not realizing RWO is per-node, not per-pod, and that ReadWriteMany (RWX) is the only mode that explicitly allows multi-node read-write access.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
ReadWriteMany (RWX)
ReadWriteMany (RWX) is the correct access mode because it allows a PersistentVolume to be mounted as read-write by multiple pods simultaneously, even when those pods are scheduled on different nodes. This is the only access mode that supports concurrent read-write access across nodes, which is essential for shared storage solutions like NFS, GlusterFS, or CephFS.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
ReadWriteMany (RWX)
Why this is correct
ReadWriteMany permits a PersistentVolume to be mounted read-write simultaneously by many pods, including pods scheduled across different nodes. ReadWriteOnce restricts access to a single node, and ReadOnlyMany allows only read access, so RWX satisfies the multi-node write requirement.
- ✗
ReadWriteOnce (RWO)
Why it's wrong here
ReadWriteOnce permits read-write mounting by a single node only; multiple pods on that node may share it, but pods across different nodes cannot. ReadWriteMany is the mode spanning nodes. RWO tempts because it is the default for many storage classes, yet it fails the cross-node requirement.
- ✗
ReadWriteOncePod (RWOP)
Why it's wrong here
RWOP restricts a volume to a single pod on one node, so it cannot serve multiple pods across nodes. It is designed for stateful workloads needing exclusive single-pod access, where preventing concurrent writers is the goal.
- ✗
ReadOnlyMany (ROX)
Why it's wrong here
ReadOnlyMany allows many nodes to mount the volume concurrently, but strictly read-only, so writes are rejected. ReadWriteMany provides the required multi-node read-write access. ROX tempts when shared reference data is needed, but the scenario demands write capability across nodes.
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This CKA question is part of Courseiva's 726-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CKA practice question is part of Courseiva's free CNCF certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the CKA exam.