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CKS Practice Question: Order the steps to perform a Kubernetes cluster…
Order the steps to perform a Kubernetes cluster upgrade from version 1.24 to 1.25.
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
✓
Upgrade kubeadm, then Drain the node, then Upgrade kubelet and kubectl, then Uncordon the node
Upgrade involves upgrading kubeadm, draining, applying upgrade, upgrading worker nodes, and verifying.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Upgrade kubeadm, then Drain the node, then Upgrade kubelet and kubectl, then Uncordon the node
Why this is correct
This is the correct order because kubeadm must be upgraded first to have the new version's tools. Draining the node ensures all pods are evicted before upgrading the kubelet and kubectl components. After upgrading, uncordoning allows the node to return to normal operation.
- ✗
Drain the node, then Upgrade kubeadm, then Upgrade kubelet and kubectl, then Uncordon the node
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because upgrading kubeadm should happen before draining the node. Draining uses kubectl, which is separate, but the official upgrade process upgrades kubeadm first for consistency. More importantly, draining before upgrading kubeadm may cause issues if the old kubeadm is used during the drain process.
- ✗
Upgrade kubeadm, then Upgrade kubelet and kubectl, then Drain the node, then Uncordon the node
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because upgrading kubelet and kubectl should occur after draining the node. If you upgrade these components before draining, the node continues running with the new kubelet while still hosting old pods, risking compatibility issues. Draining first ensures a clean upgrade.
- ✗
Upgrade kubeadm, then Drain the node, then Uncordon the node, then Upgrade kubelet and kubectl
Why it's wrong here
This is incorrect because uncordoning the node before upgrading kubelet and kubectl allows new pods to be scheduled on a node still running the old kubelet and kubectl versions, which are not compatible with the new control plane. The upgrade of these components must happen before uncordoning.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CKS 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 CKS exam.