Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring Successful Operation of a Cloud Solution
You need to drain a GKE node for maintenance without disrupting running workloads that are managed by a DaemonSet. Which TWO flags should you use with kubectl drain? (Choose two.)
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
✓
--delete-emptydir-data
kubectl drain evicts pods. By default, it will fail if there are pods not managed by a ReplicationController/ReplicaSet/Deployment or if there are DaemonSet pods. The --ignore-daemonsets flag allows draining despite DaemonSet pods. The --delete-emptydir-data flag is needed if any pods use emptyDir volumes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
--delete-emptydir-data
Why this is correct
This flag allows the eviction of pods that use emptyDir volumes. During a node drain, kubectl will not evict such pods by default because their data is ephemeral and would be lost. To proceed with draining and terminate these pods gracefully, you must explicitly permit the deletion of their emptyDir data. This is safe when you don't need the temporary data or when apps handle empty volumes on startup.
- ✗
--grace-period=0
Why it's wrong here
This flag sets the termination grace period to zero seconds, meaning that after the termination signal, the pod is immediately killed with SIGKILL. This defeats the purpose of a graceful drain because containers get no time to shut down cleanly, potentially disrupting active connections or losing state. The correct approach is to use the default grace period or a value that fits your application's shutdown sequence.
- ✗
--disable-eviction
Why it's wrong here
This flag does not exist in the kubectl drain command. The valid flags include --delete-emptydir-data, --force, --ignore-daemonsets, --grace-period, and --pod-selector, among others. Running `kubectl drain` with a non-existent flag will result in an error and no drain will occur. Always verify available options with `kubectl drain --help`.
- ✓
--ignore-daemonsets
Why this is correct
DaemonSet pods are managed by the DaemonSet controller and are expected to run on every node. When you drain a node, kubectl refuses to evict DaemonSet pods unless you explicitly pass --ignore-daemonsets. This flag allows the drain to proceed by ignoring those pods, assuming the DaemonSet controller will reschedule them as needed. Without it, the drain would be blocked.
- ✗
--force
Why it's wrong here
The --force flag is required when draining a node that contains pods not managed by a controller, such as standalone pods. Since the workloads here are managed by a DaemonSet, they are controlled and --force is unnecessary. Using --force indiscriminately can bypass safety checks and lead to data loss or unintended evictions, so it should only be used when truly needed.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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