LPIC-1 Essential System Services and Networking Practice Question
A company is deploying a new web application and needs to ensure high availability. They have two web servers and want to use DNS round-robin. Which DNS record type is most appropriate?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse CNAME records with A records, thinking a CNAME can point to multiple servers, but CNAMEs are single-target aliases and cannot provide round-robin distribution.
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
✓
A
DNS round-robin distributes traffic across multiple servers by returning multiple A records for a single hostname in a rotating order. An A record maps a hostname to an IPv4 address, so using multiple A records for the same name is the standard method for DNS-based load balancing. This allows each web server to be reached via its own IP address, enabling high availability without additional hardware or software.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
MX
Why it's wrong here
MX records direct email delivery to mail exchangers and carry no web traffic. It is tempting because MX supports multiple targets with priorities, resembling load distribution, and would be correct when routing SMTP mail for a domain to several mail servers.
- ✗
PTR
Why it's wrong here
PTR records provide reverse DNS, mapping an IP address back to a hostname, so they cannot distribute web requests. It is tempting because PTR entries reference hostnames, and would be correct when configuring reverse lookups for mail server verification or logging.
- ✗
CNAME
Why it's wrong here
A CNAME cannot be assigned to the zone apex and cannot hold multiple targets for round-robin distribution; it aliases one name to another. It is tempting because it maps names to hosts, and would be correct for pointing a subdomain alias at a single canonical hostname.
- ✓
A
Why this is correct
An A record maps a hostname directly to an IPv4 address. Publishing multiple A records with the same name, one per web server, lets DNS return the addresses in rotating order, distributing client requests across both servers and satisfying the round-robin high-availability requirement.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This LPIC-1 practice question is part of Courseiva's free LPI 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 LPIC-1 exam.