XK0-006 Troubleshooting Practice Question
A system administrator notices that the server is performing poorly. Running 'vmstat 1 5' shows high 'wa' values. Which subsystem is most likely experiencing a bottleneck?
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
✓
Disk I/O
wa stands for I/O wait time, indicating the CPU is waiting for disk I/O. High wa suggests a disk bottleneck.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Memory
Why it's wrong here
Memory issues show high 'si' and 'so' (swapping) or high 'b' for blocked processes.
- ✓
Disk I/O
Why this is correct
Correct. High wa means the CPU is waiting for disk I/O.
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Network
Why it's wrong here
Network issues are not directly indicated by vmstat's wa field.
- ✗
CPU
Why it's wrong here
High wa indicates I/O wait, not CPU saturation unless 'us' or 'sy' are high.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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