LPIC-2 Network Client Management Practice Question
A Linux client is experiencing slow name resolution. The /etc/nsswitch.conf file has the line 'hosts: files dns'. The /etc/hosts file contains many entries. What is the most effective way to improve resolution speed?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume removing entries from /etc/hosts or adding a caching daemon will fix the speed issue, when the real problem is the lookup order in nsswitch.conf, which directly controls whether the resolver checks a potentially large local file before querying DNS.
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
✓
Change the nsswitch.conf line to 'hosts: dns files'
The current order 'hosts: files dns' causes the resolver to check the entire /etc/hosts file first for every query, which is slow when the file contains many entries. Reversing the order to 'hosts: dns files' makes the resolver query DNS first, which is typically faster for most lookups, and only falls back to the local file if DNS fails. This directly addresses the bottleneck without requiring additional services or data removal.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the DNS timeout in /etc/resolv.conf
Why it's wrong here
Increasing timeout would make resolution slower, not faster.
- ✓
Change the nsswitch.conf line to 'hosts: dns files'
Why this is correct
Checking DNS first avoids reading the large hosts file for most queries, improving resolution speed for external names.
- ✗
Install and configure nscd (Name Service Cache Daemon)
Why it's wrong here
nscd caches results but initial resolution may still be slow due to the hosts file check order.
- ✗
Remove all entries from /etc/hosts except localhost
Why it's wrong here
This may break internal resolution for hosts that rely on the hosts file.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.