hardMultiple Choice
220-1201 Practice Question: A company deploys a load balancer to distribute…
A company deploys a load balancer to distribute traffic across three web servers. Users report that they occasionally see outdated content or are asked to log in repeatedly. Which network service configuration is most likely missing to maintain session persistence?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the distinction between load balancing (distributing traffic) and session persistence (keeping a user on the same server), and the trap here is that candidates may confuse DNS round-robin with a valid persistence mechanism, not realizing it only distributes initial connections and does not maintain stickiness.
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
✓
Session persistence (sticky sessions)
Session persistence (sticky sessions) ensures that all requests from a given user session are directed to the same backend web server. Without it, the load balancer may distribute requests across different servers, causing the user to see outdated content if one server has stale cached data, or to be asked to log in repeatedly if the session state is stored locally on each server rather than in a shared database.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
DNS round-robin
Why it's wrong here
DNS round-robin rotates resolved IP addresses per query, so clients reach different servers and lose their sessions; it is not a load-balancer persistence mechanism. It is tempting as a cheap distribution method, but sticky sessions or session affinity are required here.
- ✓
Session persistence (sticky sessions)
Why this is correct
Session persistence, or sticky sessions, binds a client's requests to the same backend server for the duration of a session. Without it, the load balancer distributes each request independently, so users hit different servers, seeing stale cached content or losing their authenticated session state.
- ✗
DHCP reservation
Why it's wrong here
DHCP reservation binds a MAC address to a fixed IP for a host; it has no role in directing a client's requests to the same backend server. It is tempting as a way to keep servers stable, but persistence requires load-balancer session affinity or sticky sessions.
- ✗
Port forwarding
Why it's wrong here
Port forwarding maps an external port to an internal host, which does not bind a user's successive requests to one backend server. It is tempting for publishing services through a firewall or NAT, but session persistence needs the load balancer's sticky-session or affinity configuration.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1201 exam.