LPIC-2 Default Virtual Host Practice Question
A web server running Apache httpd is experiencing high load. The administrator suspects that many requests are for non-existent virtual hosts. Which configuration change would reduce the load caused by these requests?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates may confuse 403 with 404 or think that increasing MaxClients or disabling KeepAlive will solve the problem, but the real solution is to filter unwanted traffic at the virtual host level using a default host with an appropriate error code.
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
✓
Define a default virtual host that returns a 403 Forbidden status code.
Defining a default virtual host that returns a 403 Forbidden status code immediately rejects requests for non-existent hostnames, preventing Apache from wasting resources on processing these requests. This directly reduces server load.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Define a default virtual host that returns a 403 Forbidden status code.
Why this is correct
Correct. A default virtual host returning 403 immediately denies requests to non-existent hosts, reducing load.
- ✗
Enable logging for all virtual hosts to identify the source of requests.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong. Enabling logging adds overhead and does not reduce load; it only helps identify sources after the fact.
- ✗
Increase the MaxClients directive to allow more concurrent connections.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong. Increasing MaxClients allows more concurrent connections but does not prevent unwanted requests from consuming resources.
- ✗
Disable KeepAlive to reduce the number of requests per connection.
Why it's wrong here
Wrong. Disabling KeepAlive reduces overhead per connection but does not specifically address requests for non-existent hosts.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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