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Load Balancing

5 minutes 5 Questions

Load balancing is the process of distributing network traffic across multiple servers or links to evenly distribute the workload, preventing any single system from becoming a bottleneck. This technique allows for better redundancy, reliability, and performance of network services. Load balancing can be implemented using either hardware or software solutions, with common algorithms such as round-robin, least connections, and least resource-intensive. By distributing traffic evenly, load balancing helps ensure that individual systems do not become overloaded, and services remain available even when a given server or link experiences higher than normal demand. Load-balancing also increases the overall availability of network services by allowing for the seamless addition or removal of servers as traffic demands change.

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.

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CompTIA Network+ - Network Performance Optimization Example Questions

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Question 1

An online store's website is hosted on multiple servers. The administrator wants the load balancer to distribute traffic based on the user's geographical location. Which method would be the most effective?

Correct Answer: Global Server Load Balancing

The most effective method for distributing traffic based on the user's geographical location is Global Server Load Balancing. This method allows for directing users to the server that is geographically closest to them, resulting in decreased latency and enhanced user experience. The other options - Least Connection, Round Robin, and Weighted Round Robin - do not take geographical location into consideration. Least Connection directs traffic to the server with fewest connections, irrespective of the user's location. Round Robin and Weighted Round Robin distribute traffic evenly or based on weights assigned to each server respectively, again regardless of the user's geographical location.

Question 2

A company has an application that processes financial transactions. The application must ensure that transactions are processed on the same server they are initiated on. Which load balancing method would be most appropriate?

Correct Answer: Persistence (stickiness)

The best choice for this situation is 'Persistence (stickiness)'. This configuration enables the load balancer to direct a user's requests to the same server for the duration of a session. It ensures the flow and consistency of transaction processing, which is very important in financial transactions. 'Round Robin' equally distributes requests to all servers, but cannot guarantee a user's requests to the same server. 'Weighted Round Robin' is similar to 'Round Robin', but provides more requests to servers with higher capacity - again, it cannot ensure constant redirection to the same server. 'Least Connection' directs more traffic to the server with the fewest active connections, and while it attempts to balance the load, it cannot make sure transactions are processed on the same server they are initiated on.

Question 3

A company has recently implemented an Load Balancer to distribute their web application traffic among different servers. The web application often experiences heavy traffic during peak hours. Which load balancing algorithm should they use to achieve the best performance?

Correct Answer: Least Connection

The 'Least Connection' load balancing algorithm would be the best choice in this scenario. This algorithm works by assigning new requests to the server with the fewest current connections. It is especially useful when there are a large number of persistent connections in the traffic that are unevenly distributed between the servers. It ensures that no single server is overwhelmed with traffic, which leads to better performance during peak hours. On the other hand, 'Round Robin' and 'Weighted Round Robin' distribute requests evenly or based on weights assigned to each server. These methods do not consider the current load on each server, which could lead to some servers getting overwhelmed during heavy traffic. 'IP Hash' creates a unique hash key for each IP address and uses it to distribute requests, which is not necessarily the most efficient method in a high traffic scenario.

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