Guide to Load Balancing in CompTIA Network+

What is Load Balancing?
Load Balancing is a process in computing that distributes network or application traffic across a number of servers. It plays a critical role in ensuring that no single server bears too much demand. This aids in enhancing the reliability, efficiency, and availability of applications or websites.
Why is Load Balancing Important?
Load balancing is essential for the optimal functioning and superior performance of servers. It helps to prevent any server from getting overwhelmed with requests, enables scaling, enhances redundancy and thus reduces website or application drops, which would otherwise lead to poor user experience.
How does Load Balancing work?
In load balancing, an incoming network or application traffic is distributed by a load balancer among multiple servers. It uses various algorithms - round-robin, least connections, IP hash etc. to decide which server should cater to the incoming request. The main aim is to prevent any one server from being overwhelmed, thereby increasing reliability and availability.
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Load Balancing
In an exam, get well-acquainted with the types of load balancers - Layer 4 and Layer 7 and the different algorithms used in load balancing. Also, understand the concept and benefits of load balancer failover support. Be ready to explain how load balancing increases redundancy and prevents server overload. Utilize diagrams in your answer to depict how load balancing works, if permissible. Always present the answer in a structured format starting from definition, importance, its working, and then application in various scenarios.
It is also crucial to know about the main difference between load balancing and clustering while answering in exams. Usually, clustering is a group of servers or computers that work together and can be viewed as a single system, whereas load balancing distributes workloads across multiple computing resources.