PCDOE Implementing service monitoring strategies Practice Question
Your company runs a multi-region application on Google Kubernetes Engine. You have implemented Cloud Monitoring dashboards to track cluster resource utilization and application SLIs. After a recent upgrade, you notice that the dashboard shows a sudden drop in CPU utilization for all nodes in one zone, but the application is still serving traffic normally. You suspect a monitoring issue. What should you investigate first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that Cloud Monitoring relies on an external agent for all metrics, when in fact GKE integrates natively with the Metrics Server for node and pod resource utilization, making agent-related options a red herring.
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
✓
Check if the Kubernetes Metrics Server is running correctly in that zone.
The Kubernetes Metrics Server is responsible for collecting resource metrics from Kubelets and exposing them via the Metrics API, which Cloud Monitoring uses to display CPU utilization. A sudden drop in CPU utilization across all nodes in a single zone, while the application continues to serve traffic normally, strongly indicates that the Metrics Server in that zone has failed or is not reporting metrics, rather than an actual change in workload. Investigating the Metrics Server's health and logs is the correct first step to confirm whether the monitoring pipeline is broken.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Check if the nodes in that zone have been cordoned.
Why it's wrong here
Cordoning would prevent pod scheduling, but app is still serving, so unlikely.
- ✗
Check if the application's resource requests and limits have changed.
Why it's wrong here
Resource requests affect scheduling, not metric collection.
- ✓
Check if the Kubernetes Metrics Server is running correctly in that zone.
Why this is correct
Metrics Server is responsible for collecting resource usage; if it's down, CPU data would drop.
- ✗
Check if the Cloud Monitoring agent has been updated incorrectly.
Why it's wrong here
GKE uses Metrics Server, not an agent, for resource metrics.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PCDOE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 PCDOE exam.