LPIC-2 Advanced Networking Configuration Practice Question
This LPIC-2 practice question tests your understanding of advanced networking configuration. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 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?
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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
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.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Balance-ALB (mode 6) uses a combination of transmit load balancing based on a hash of the source MAC address and receive load balancing via ARP negotiation, where the bonding driver intercepts ARP replies and rewrites the source MAC to the address of a specific slave, effectively distributing incoming traffic across interfaces. This mode does not require any switch-side configuration because it does not rely on link aggregation protocols; instead, it tricks the switch into sending traffic to different MAC addresses, achieving load balancing for both directions. A subtle behavior is that balance-ALB can cause ARP table instability on the switch if the same IP address is associated with multiple MAC addresses, but modern switches handle this gracefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Advanced Networking Configuration — This question tests Advanced Networking Configuration — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: 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.
What should I do if I get this LPIC-2 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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