LPIC-2 Advanced Networking Configuration Practice Question
A system administrator notices that the network bond interface bond0 is not operational. The bond is configured using mode 1 (active-backup). The physical interfaces eth0 and eth1 are both up but bond0 shows 'DOWN'. Which of the following is the most likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often assume that because the physical interfaces are 'up' and have link, the bond should automatically be 'up', but Linux bonding requires slaves to be administratively down before enslaving, a detail that is frequently overlooked in exam questions.
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
✓
The physical interfaces must be set to the 'down' state before being added as slaves.
In Linux bonding, when adding physical interfaces as slaves to a bond in mode 1 (active-backup), the slave interfaces must be in the 'down' state before being enslaved. If they are already 'up', the bond may fail to recognize them correctly, leaving bond0 in a 'DOWN' state even though the physical links are up. This is because the bonding driver expects to take control of the interface's link state and will not properly manage a slave that is already administratively up.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The bond mode is set to an unsupported value.
Why it's wrong here
Mode 1 is a standard and supported mode.
- ✗
The bonding module has not been loaded into the kernel.
Why it's wrong here
Bond0 exists, so the module is loaded.
- ✓
The physical interfaces must be set to the 'down' state before being added as slaves.
Why this is correct
Slave interfaces are often required to be down before bonding to avoid conflicts.
- ✗
The bond0 interface has not been assigned an IP address.
Why it's wrong here
An interface can be up without an IP address.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
This LPIC-2 question is part of Courseiva's 507-question bank — original exam-style content with full explanations and wrong-answer analysis, never real exam questions or exam dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.