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 are for mail servers.
- ✗
PTR
Why it's wrong here
PTR records map IP to hostname.
- ✗
CNAME
Why it's wrong here
CNAME points to another name, not multiple IPs.
- ✓
A
Why this is correct
Multiple A records enable DNS round-robin.
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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.