Question 49 of 979
hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
XK0-006 Practice Question: A Linux system administrator is troubleshooting a…
A Linux system administrator is troubleshooting a server that runs a web application. Users report that the web application occasionally returns 503 Service Unavailable errors. The Apache web server appears to be running (systemctl status httpd shows active). The server has 8GB RAM and runs multiple applications. The administrator runs free -m and sees that swap usage is at 75% while available memory is very low. The top output shows that a process named 'databased' is consuming 40% of memory. The databased process is not a core application and is not needed for the web server. The administrator wants to resolve the issue without restarting the server. What should the administrator do?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think increasing swap (Option B) or reducing Apache workers (Option D) will fix the 503 errors, but they overlook that the real issue is a specific non-essential process consuming the memory that Apache needs, making direct termination the only efficient fix without restarting.
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
✓
Kill the databased process using kill -9
The immediate cause of the 503 errors is memory exhaustion: swap is at 75% and available RAM is critically low. The non-essential 'databased' process is consuming 40% of memory, starving Apache. Killing it with kill -9 frees that memory instantly, resolving the pressure without a restart. This directly addresses the root cause—a rogue process hogging RAM—rather than treating symptoms.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Enable the OOM killer to handle memory pressure automatically
Why it's wrong here
The OOM killer may not act soon enough or could kill Apache instead.
- ✗
Increase swap space by adding a swap file
Why it's wrong here
Increases swap capacity but does not reduce memory pressure from the unwanted process.
- ✓
Kill the databased process using kill -9
Why this is correct
Immediately frees the memory held by the databased process, alleviating memory pressure.
- ✗
Reduce Apache's MaxClients setting
Why it's wrong here
Reducing Apache connections does not free existing memory consumed by databased.
Visual reference
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
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