CKAD Application Deployment Practice Question
You are performing a rolling update of a Deployment. You set maxSurge=2 and maxUnavailable=1. The Deployment has 5 replicas. During the update, how many pods can be running simultaneously?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates confuse maxUnavailable as a cap on total running pods, when in fact it only limits how many pods can be in a non-running state (e.g., terminating or pending), while maxSurge independently controls the extra pods above the desired count.
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
✓
7
During a rolling update, maxSurge=2 allows up to 2 extra pods beyond the desired replicas, and maxUnavailable=1 allows at most 1 pod to be unavailable. With a desired count of 5, the maximum running pods is 5 (desired) + 2 (surge) = 7, because the surge pods are created before old ones are terminated, and the unavailable limit does not cap the total running count.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
7
Why this is correct
7 is correct because during a rolling update with a desired replica count of 5 and a maxSurge set to 2, Kubernetes is allowed to create up to 2 additional pods above the desired count. This surge capacity means the absolute maximum number of pods that can be running simultaneously is 5 + 2 = 7. The deployment controller uses this headroom to bring up new pods before terminating old ones, ensuring zero downtime and a smooth transition.
- ✗
6
Why it's wrong here
6 is wrong because it understates the surge allowance. While 6 running pods could occur at some point during the update (for example, if only 1 surge pod has been created so far), the definition of maxSurge=2 explicitly permits up to 2 extra pods beyond the desired 5 replicas. The maximum possible running pod count is therefore 7, not 6. Choosing 6 assumes a surge capacity of only 1, which contradicts the configured value.
- ✗
10
Why it's wrong here
10 is incorrect because it would require a maxSurge of 5, not 2. The formula for the maximum running pods during a rolling update is desired replicas + maxSurge, so to reach 10 you would need 5 desired + 5 surge. With maxSurge set to 2, the upper bound is 7. This answer likely confuses the surge limit with the total desired replicas, or mistakenly assumes the surge is equal to the replica count.
- ✗
5
Why it's wrong here
5 is wrong because it only accounts for the desired steady-state replica count and completely ignores the surge parameter. While 5 is the number of pods the deployment targets once the update completes, the rolling update process is allowed to temporarily exceed that count. The maxSurge value of 2 explicitly adds temporary capacity, so the maximum running pods during the update is 7, not the target of 5. This answer reflects a misunderstanding of how surge capacity works.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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