LPIC-2 Network Client Management Practice Question
A system administrator configures a Linux client to authenticate users via an LDAP directory directory for user login. The LDAP server is located on a remote network across a WAN link with moderate latency. Authentication succeeds, but user logins take 10-15 seconds to complete, causing delays. The LDAP server logs show low CPU usage and minimal queries per second. The client has not yet implemented any local caching services. The administrator wants to reduce the login delay without compromising security. What should the administrator do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the delay is caused by server overload or encryption overhead, when in fact the bottleneck is client-side latency from repeated LDAP queries over a WAN link, which local caching directly addresses.
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
✓
Enable nscd (Name Service Cache Daemon) to cache passwd, group, and services lookups.
Nscd caches the results of name service lookups (passwd, group, hosts, services) in memory, eliminating repeated LDAP queries for the same user or group information. Since the client has no local caching, each login triggers multiple LDAP lookups (e.g., for user entry, group membership, and service resolution), and the WAN latency multiplies the delay. By caching these lookups, nscd reduces the number of round trips over the slow link, cutting login time from 10–15 seconds to near-instant without affecting LDAP TLS security or server configuration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disable LDAP TLS encryption to reduce cryptographic overhead.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Disabling TLS is a security risk and would not eliminate the latency; encryption adds minimal delay compared to round-trips.
- ✗
Change the file ownership of /etc/pam.d/common-auth to root to force direct LDAP reads.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. File ownership does not affect LDAP performance; this change would not improve speed.
- ✓
Enable nscd (Name Service Cache Daemon) to cache passwd, group, and services lookups.
Why this is correct
Correct. nscd caches name service requests, including LDAP queries, drastically reducing the number of WAN round-trips and speeding up authentication.
- ✗
Increase the number of LDAP server threads to handle concurrent requests faster.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. The server shows low CPU usage, so server-side threads are not the bottleneck; the delay is due to WAN latency and lack of client caching.
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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.