- A
Omit the liveness probe from the pod spec.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Liveness probes are for restarting unhealthy pods; they do not affect rolling update availability.
- B
Set strategy type to RollingUpdate with maxUnavailable=0 and maxSurge=1.
Correct: Ensures no pod is terminated until a new one is ready, and an extra pod can be created during the update to maintain capacity.
- C
Set maxUnavailable=1 and maxSurge=0.
Why wrong: Incorrect: maxUnavailable=1 allows one pod to be terminated before the replacement is ready, potentially causing a capacity drop and downtime if the application cannot handle reduced replicas.
- D
Use the Recreate strategy.
Why wrong: Incorrect: Recreate kills all existing pods before creating new ones, causing downtime.
- E
Configure a readiness probe that checks the application's health endpoint.
Correct: A readiness probe ensures new pods are only added to the service when they are ready to serve traffic, preventing traffic to unready pods.
EX294 Coordinate rolling updates Practice Question
This EX294 practice question tests your understanding of coordinate rolling updates. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An administrator needs to update a web application that runs as a Kubernetes Deployment with 5 replicas. The application is stateless, but the update must not cause any downtime. Which TWO strategies ensure zero-downtime rolling updates?
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
Set strategy type to RollingUpdate with maxUnavailable=0 and maxSurge=1.
Option B is correct because setting `maxUnavailable=0` ensures that no pods are taken down before new ones are ready, while `maxSurge=1` allows one extra pod to be created above the desired replica count, enabling a rolling update without any downtime. This combination guarantees that at least 5 pods are always available during the update process.
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.
- ✗
Omit the liveness probe from the pod spec.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Liveness probes are for restarting unhealthy pods; they do not affect rolling update availability.
- ✓
Set strategy type to RollingUpdate with maxUnavailable=0 and maxSurge=1.
Why this is correct
Correct: Ensures no pod is terminated until a new one is ready, and an extra pod can be created during the update to maintain capacity.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set maxUnavailable=1 and maxSurge=0.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: maxUnavailable=1 allows one pod to be terminated before the replacement is ready, potentially causing a capacity drop and downtime if the application cannot handle reduced replicas.
- ✗
Use the Recreate strategy.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect: Recreate kills all existing pods before creating new ones, causing downtime.
- ✓
Configure a readiness probe that checks the application's health endpoint.
Why this is correct
Correct: A readiness probe ensures new pods are only added to the service when they are ready to serve traffic, preventing traffic to unready pods.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse `maxUnavailable` and `maxSurge` values, mistakenly thinking that allowing one unavailable pod (maxUnavailable=1) is acceptable for zero-downtime, when in fact it can cause a temporary capacity deficit if the readiness probe is not fast enough.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, the `RollingUpdate` strategy uses a controller-managed process that creates new pods with the updated spec while gradually terminating old ones. The `maxSurge` and `maxUnavailable` parameters are absolute or percentage values that control the pace; setting `maxUnavailable=0` forces the controller to only terminate an old pod after a new pod is fully ready (as determined by readiness probes), ensuring the desired replica count is never undershot. In real-world scenarios, this is critical for production services where even a brief capacity drop could cause request queuing or timeouts.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this EX294 question test?
Coordinate rolling updates — This question tests Coordinate rolling updates — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Set strategy type to RollingUpdate with maxUnavailable=0 and maxSurge=1. — Option B is correct because setting `maxUnavailable=0` ensures that no pods are taken down before new ones are ready, while `maxSurge=1` allows one extra pod to be created above the desired replica count, enabling a rolling update without any downtime. This combination guarantees that at least 5 pods are always available during the update process.
What should I do if I get this EX294 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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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This EX294 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Red Hat 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 EX294 exam.
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