LPIC-2 Advanced Networking Configuration Practice Question
A system administrator wants to combine two 1 Gbps Ethernet interfaces into a single logical bonded interface to increase throughput and provide redundancy. Which mode of bonding will provide both load balancing and fault tolerance without requiring switch configuration?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume mode 0 (balance-rr) or mode 2 (balance-xor) can provide load balancing without switch configuration, but they overlook the critical requirement for switch-side link aggregation support to avoid packet misordering or MAC flapping.
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
✓
mode 6 (balance-alb)
Mode 6 (balance-alb) provides adaptive load balancing (ALB) that distributes outgoing traffic based on the MAC address of the destination, and it also handles incoming traffic by ARP negotiation, allowing both load balancing and fault tolerance without any special switch configuration. Unlike other modes that require switch support (e.g., IEEE 802.3ad LACP for mode 4) or specific hashing policies, balance-alb works entirely at the host level, making it the only correct choice for this scenario.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
mode 6 (balance-alb)
Why this is correct
Adaptive load balancing (balance-alb) provides load balancing and fault tolerance without switch configuration.
- ✗
mode 2 (balance-xor)
Why it's wrong here
XOR balancing typically requires the switch to be configured for static link aggregation to work correctly.
- ✗
mode 1 (active-backup)
Why it's wrong here
Active-backup provides redundancy but does not provide load balancing across interfaces.
- ✗
mode 0 (balance-rr)
Why it's wrong here
Round-robin mode may cause out-of-order packets and requires the switch to treat both ports as separate, potentially causing issues.
Quick reference
Access Control Model Comparison
| Model | Acronym | Who Controls Access? | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discretionary Access Control | DAC | Resource owner | Small teams, file shares |
| Mandatory Access Control | MAC | System / security labels | Classified govt / military |
| Role-Based Access Control | RBAC | Administrator (via roles) | Enterprise environments |
| Attribute-Based Access Control | ABAC | Policy engine (user + resource attributes) | Fine-grained, dynamic policies |
| Rule-Based Access Control | RuBAC | System rules / ACLs | Firewall rules, network ACLs |
Go deeper
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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.