This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of advanced networking configuration. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company requires link aggregation between a Linux server and a switch to increase throughput and provide redundancy. The switch supports only standard 802.3ad (LACP). Which bonding mode should be configured on the Linux server?
mode=2 (balance-xor)
Why wrong: May work but not standard 802.3ad; could cause packet misordering.
mode=1 (active-backup)
Why wrong: Provides only redundancy, no load balancing.
mode=3 (broadcast)
Why wrong: Transmits on all slaves, suitable only for specific use cases.
mode=0 (balance-rr)
Why wrong: Requires switch support for link aggregation, often proprietary.
mode=4 (802.3ad)
Standard LACP mode for switch configuration.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
mode=4 (802.3ad)
Option E is correct because mode=4 (802.3ad) implements the IEEE 802.3ad standard for Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). This mode requires the switch to support LACP, which the scenario states, and provides both increased throughput through load balancing and redundancy through automatic failover if a link fails.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
mode=2 (balance-xor)
Why it's wrong here
May work but not standard 802.3ad; could cause packet misordering.
mode=1 (active-backup)
Why it's wrong here
Provides only redundancy, no load balancing.
mode=3 (broadcast)
Why it's wrong here
Transmits on all slaves, suitable only for specific use cases.
mode=0 (balance-rr)
Why it's wrong here
Requires switch support for link aggregation, often proprietary.
mode=4 (802.3ad)
Why this is correct
Standard LACP mode for switch configuration.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse mode=0 (balance-rr) or mode=2 (balance-xor) as being compatible with 802.3ad, but only mode=4 implements the actual LACP protocol required by the standard.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, mode=4 uses the LACP protocol to negotiate aggregation with the switch, exchanging LACPDUs to form a single logical link. The load-balancing hash algorithm (e.g., based on MAC addresses or IP addresses) is determined by the Linux kernel's transmit hash policy, which can be tuned via the xmit_hash_policy parameter. In a real-world scenario, if the switch is configured for LACP active mode and the server uses mode=4 with 'miimon=100' and 'lacp_rate=fast', the link can fail over within milliseconds.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A network engineer segments a warehouse floor into three subnets: 20 scanners, 5 printers, and 2 management hosts. Picking the wrong mask wastes addresses or leaves too few usable hosts. Exam questions test whether you can apply CIDR notation, calculate block size, and identify the correct usable-host range for a given prefix.
What to study next
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FAQ
Advanced Networking Configuration — This question tests Advanced Networking Configuration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: mode=4 (802.3ad) — Option E is correct because mode=4 (802.3ad) implements the IEEE 802.3ad standard for Link Aggregation Control Protocol (LACP). This mode requires the switch to support LACP, which the scenario states, and provides both increased throughput through load balancing and redundancy through automatic failover if a link fails.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 25, 2026
This LPIC-2 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-2 exam.
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