- A
All 3 new Pods are created, and then the old ones are terminated all at once
Why wrong: This would require maxSurge=3, not 1.
- B
One new Pod is created, and once it is ready, one old Pod is terminated. This repeats until all Pods are updated.
This matches the rolling update behavior with maxSurge=1 and maxUnavailable=0.
- C
All 3 old Pods are terminated simultaneously before new ones start
Why wrong: This would cause downtime, violating maxUnavailable=0.
- D
The update fails because maxUnavailable cannot be 0
Why wrong: maxUnavailable=0 is valid and ensures no downtime.
Question 630 of 997
Understanding Rolling Update Strategy with maxSurge and maxUnavailable
This KCNA practice question tests your understanding of kubernetes fundamentals. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A Deployment has a strategy of RollingUpdate with maxSurge=1 and maxUnavailable=0. The Deployment manages 3 replicas. The image is updated. What happens during the update?
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
✓
One new Pod is created, and once it is ready, one old Pod is terminated. This repeats until all Pods are updated.
Option B is correct because the RollingUpdate strategy with maxSurge=1 and maxUnavailable=0 ensures that during the update, exactly one new Pod is created above the desired replica count (surge of 1) while keeping all existing Pods running (maxUnavailable=0). Once the new Pod reaches the Ready state, one old Pod is terminated, maintaining the desired 3 replicas throughout the process. This cycle repeats until all Pods are updated, guaranteeing zero downtime.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
All 3 new Pods are created, and then the old ones are terminated all at once
Why it's wrong here
This would require maxSurge=3, not 1.
- ✓
One new Pod is created, and once it is ready, one old Pod is terminated. This repeats until all Pods are updated.
Why this is correct
This matches the rolling update behavior with maxSurge=1 and maxUnavailable=0.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
All 3 old Pods are terminated simultaneously before new ones start
Why it's wrong here
This would cause downtime, violating maxUnavailable=0.
- ✗
The update fails because maxUnavailable cannot be 0
Why it's wrong here
maxUnavailable=0 is valid and ensures no downtime.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
A common misconception is that maxUnavailable=0 prevents any Pod termination, but in a RollingUpdate with maxSurge>0, old Pods are terminated only after new ones are ready, ensuring zero downtime while the update proceeds.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the Deployment controller uses a ReplicaSet for each revision; during a rolling update, it scales up the new ReplicaSet by maxSurge and scales down the old ReplicaSet by maxUnavailable, respecting the desired count. A subtle behavior is that if a new Pod fails to become Ready, the controller will not terminate an old Pod until the new one is healthy, preventing a complete outage. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for stateful applications or services with long startup times, where zero-downtime deployments are mandatory.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the KCNA exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this KCNA question test?
Kubernetes Fundamentals — This question tests Kubernetes Fundamentals — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: One new Pod is created, and once it is ready, one old Pod is terminated. This repeats until all Pods are updated. — Option B is correct because the RollingUpdate strategy with maxSurge=1 and maxUnavailable=0 ensures that during the update, exactly one new Pod is created above the desired replica count (surge of 1) while keeping all existing Pods running (maxUnavailable=0). Once the new Pod reaches the Ready state, one old Pod is terminated, maintaining the desired 3 replicas throughout the process. This cycle repeats until all Pods are updated, guaranteeing zero downtime.
What should I do if I get this KCNA question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
3 more ways this is tested on KCNA
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A team wants to minimize downtime during a Deployment rollout. Which strategy ensures that new pods are created before old pods are terminated?
medium- A.Set strategy type to 'Recreate'.
- B.Set strategy type to 'RollingUpdate' with maxSurge=0, maxUnavailable=1.
- ✓ C.Set strategy type to 'RollingUpdate' with maxSurge=1, maxUnavailable=0.
- D.Set strategy type to 'RollingUpdate' with maxSurge=1, maxUnavailable=1.
Why C: Option C is correct because setting `maxSurge=1` and `maxUnavailable=0` in a RollingUpdate strategy ensures that one additional pod is created above the desired replica count before any existing pod is terminated. This guarantees zero downtime by maintaining full capacity during the rollout, as new pods become ready before old ones are removed.
Variation 2. A user wants to ensure that a Deployment undergoes a rolling update with zero downtime, and that new Pods are fully ready before old Pods are terminated. Which field in the Deployment spec controls this behavior?
hard- A.spec.minReadySeconds
- ✓ B.spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable and maxSurge
- C.spec.replicas
- D.spec.template.spec.containers[].resources
Why B: Option B is correct because `spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable` and `maxSurge` control how many Pods can be unavailable and how many can be created above the desired count during a rolling update. Setting `maxUnavailable=0` ensures no old Pods are terminated until new Pods are fully ready, achieving zero-downtime updates. `maxSurge` allows extra Pods to be created before old ones are removed, enabling a controlled rollout.
Variation 3. You have a Deployment with the following rollout strategy: rollingUpdate: maxSurge: 1, maxUnavailable: 0. What behavior does this configuration enforce?
hard- A.The rollout will terminate all old pods at once and then create new ones
- B.The rollout will create all new pods first, then delete all old pods
- C.The rollout will terminate one old pod before creating a new one
- ✓ D.The rollout will create one additional pod before terminating the old pod, ensuring zero downtime
Why D: Option D is correct because the rolling update strategy `maxSurge: 1, maxUnavailable: 0` ensures that during the rollout, one additional pod is created above the desired replica count before any existing pod is terminated. This guarantees that the total number of available pods never drops below the desired count, achieving zero downtime. The `maxUnavailable: 0` setting prevents any pod from being taken down until a new one is ready, while `maxSurge: 1` allows one extra pod to be created temporarily.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
This KCNA 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 KCNA exam.
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