hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: A company runs a critical web application on a…
A company runs a critical web application on a Linux server. The server has 16GB RAM and 4 CPU cores. Recently, users have reported intermittent timeouts and slow response times. The administrator logs in and runs 'top', which shows the web server process using 200% CPU (multi-threaded) and 2GB RAM. Free memory is 12GB, and swap usage is 0. The load average is 3.5, 4.0, 4.2. The administrator checks 'dmesg' and sees no OOM or hardware errors. The web server logs show many 'connection refused' errors during peak times. The application is configured to handle up to 500 concurrent connections. The administrator suspects the issue is related to the number of worker processes or threads. Which of the following is the BEST course of action to resolve the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that high CPU usage always means the server needs fewer workers or more hardware, but the real issue here is that the server is rejecting connections because it has too few workers to handle the configured 500 concurrent connections, not because the CPU is overloaded by existing workers.
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
✓
Increase the number of worker processes or threads in the web server configuration.
The web server is using 200% CPU (multi-threaded) and has 12GB free RAM with no swap usage, indicating CPU is the bottleneck, not memory. The load average (3.5–4.2) exceeds the 4 CPU cores, meaning the system is overloaded with processes/threads. The 'connection refused' errors during peak times suggest the server is hitting its connection limit (500 concurrent connections) and rejecting new ones. Increasing worker processes/threads allows the server to handle more concurrent connections, utilizing the available CPU cores more efficiently to reduce timeouts and refusals.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Increase the number of worker processes or threads in the web server configuration.
Why this is correct
This directly addresses the connection refused errors by allowing more concurrent connections.
- ✗
Add more CPU cores by migrating to a larger instance.
Why it's wrong here
CPU usage is high but load average is within core count; the issue is connection limits.
- ✗
Decrease the number of worker processes to reduce CPU load.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing workers would increase refusals, not solve the problem.
- ✗
Add more RAM to the server.
Why it's wrong here
Memory is not a bottleneck; 12GB free indicates sufficient RAM.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux Fundamentals and History
Key term
dmesg
dmesg is a Linux command that displays messages from the kernel ring buffer, used to diagnose hardware and boot issues.
Key term
Process
In IT service management, a process is a structured set of activities designed to accomplish a specific objective, such as managing incidents or changes, by transforming inputs into defined outputs.
About these practice questions
One of 979 original XK0-006 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This XK0-006 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 XK0-006 exam.