NSE7 Advanced Networking and SD-WAN Practice Question
Which SD-WAN load balancing algorithm distributes new sessions based on the number of active sessions on each link?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse 'Sessions' with 'Volume' because both involve load balancing, but Sessions counts active connections while Volume measures data throughput, leading to incorrect selection of Volume when the question explicitly mentions 'number of active sessions'.
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
✓
Sessions
The Sessions algorithm distributes new sessions based on the current number of active sessions on each SD-WAN link. When a new session is initiated, the SD-WAN controller selects the link with the fewest active sessions, ensuring a balanced load across all available transport interfaces. This is distinct from algorithms that consider source/destination IP pairs, traffic volume, or bandwidth thresholds.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Source-dest IP
Why it's wrong here
Source-dest IP hashes each flow's address pair to a fixed link, so distribution depends on address variety, not live session counts. It is tempting because it preserves flow stickiness and suits per-flow consistency, but it cannot rebalance when one link accumulates more active sessions.
- ✗
Spillover
Why it's wrong here
Spillover sends new sessions to a secondary link only once the primary exceeds a configured bandwidth threshold, so selection depends on throughput, not active session counts. It is tempting for active/standby or unequal-bandwidth designs, but it ignores the per-link session tally the stem requires.
- ✗
Volume
Why it's wrong here
Volume distributes sessions by measured byte or packet throughput per link, not by active session count. It is tempting because volume balancing suits links of differing capacities where raw traffic load matters, but the stem asks specifically for per-link session counts, which only session-based balancing tracks.
- ✓
Sessions
Why this is correct
The sessions algorithm counts currently active sessions per member and assigns each new session to the link with the fewest, directly satisfying the stem's requirement to balance on active session counts rather than bandwidth, volume or fixed hashing.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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