KCNA Kubernetes Fundamentals Practice Question
You have a Deployment that manages 3 replicas. You want to perform a rolling update with a maximum of 2 Pods unavailable during the update. Which field should you set in the Deployment spec?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers confuse `maxUnavailable` with `maxSurge`, mistakenly thinking that `maxSurge` controls how many Pods can be down, when in fact `maxSurge` controls how many extra Pods can be created 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
✓
spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable
The `maxUnavailable` field in `spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable` specifies the maximum number of Pods that can be unavailable during a rolling update. Setting it to 2 allows up to 2 Pods to be taken down at a time, ensuring that at least 1 Pod remains available (since the Deployment has 3 replicas). This field directly controls the availability tolerance during the update process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxUnavailable
Why this is correct
maxUnavailable defines the maximum number of Pods that can be unavailable during the update.
- ✗
spec.minReadySeconds
Why it's wrong here
minReadySeconds delays Pod readiness after creation, not related to unavailability count.
- ✗
spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxSurge
Why it's wrong here
`spec.strategy.rollingUpdate.maxSurge` controls how many extra Pods can be created above the desired replica count during an update, not how many can be unavailable. This scenario requires limiting unavailable Pods to 2, which is governed by `maxUnavailable`. The option is tempting because `maxSurge` also manages Pod availability during rolling updates, but it governs overshoot capacity rather than downtime tolerance.
- ✗
spec.replicas
Why it's wrong here
Replicas is the desired number of Pods, not related to update strategy.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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