LPIC-2 DNS, Web and Mail Services Practice Question
An Apache web server is experiencing high memory usage under heavy load. The administrator wants to reduce the number of idle child processes. Which configuration directive should be adjusted?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often confuse MinSpareThreads with MinSpareServers (prefork MPM) or think that reducing MaxRequestWorkers is the primary way to control memory, when in fact MinSpareThreads directly targets idle process reduction in the worker MPM.
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
✓
MinSpareThreads
MinSpareThreads controls the minimum number of idle threads that should be available to handle incoming requests. By reducing this value, the administrator ensures fewer idle child processes are kept running, which lowers memory usage under heavy load. This directive is specific to Apache's worker MPM (Multi-Processing Module) and directly influences the number of spare processes.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
ServerLimit
Why it's wrong here
This is the maximum number of server processes, not related to idle count.
- ✗
MaxRequestWorkers
Why it's wrong here
This sets the maximum number of simultaneous requests, not idle processes.
- ✗
KeepAliveTimeout
Why it's wrong here
This controls how long idle connections stay open, not the number of idle processes.
- ✓
MinSpareThreads
Why this is correct
Reducing this value decreases the number of idle threads kept ready, lowering memory usage.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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