SK0-005 troubleshooting Practice Question
A web application server is experiencing intermittent 502 Bad Gateway errors during peak usage hours. The server's reverse proxy logs show connections to the backend application server being refused. The application server's resource monitor shows CPU utilization at 95% and memory utilization at 40%. Which of the following actions is MOST likely to resolve the issue?
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
✓
Adjust thread pool and connection timeout settings on the application server.
Option B is correct. High CPU and connection refusals commonly indicate that the application’s worker thread pool or connection queue is saturated, preventing new connections. Tuning thread pool and timeout settings can alleviate this. Adding CPU (option C) may help long-term but is not the most direct fix. Memory (option A) is not the bottleneck. Replacing the proxy (option D) does not address the backend overload.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Replace the reverse proxy with a hardware load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
The proxy is not the source of the 502 errors; the backend server is refusing connections, so replacing the proxy will not solve the root cause.
- ✗
Add more CPU cores to the server.
Why it's wrong here
While this may eventually help, it is a hardware change that does not immediately address the application configuration issue causing connection refusals.
- ✗
Increase the server's physical memory.
Why it's wrong here
Memory usage is only 40%, so adding RAM is unlikely to resolve connection refusals caused by high CPU load.
- ✓
Adjust thread pool and connection timeout settings on the application server.
Why this is correct
Modifying thread pool size and timeouts can allow the server to handle more concurrent requests and reduce connection refusals under load.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Key term
Resource
A resource is any component, service, or asset in a computing environment that can be allocated, used, or consumed to perform a task or support a process.
Key term
Proxy
A proxy is an intermediary server that sits between a client and a destination server, forwarding requests and responses while providing security, privacy, and control.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed July 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This SK0-005 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 SK0-005 exam.