Load Balancing and Session Affinity for Network+ and Security+
If you’re preparing for the Network+ or the Security+ exam, you might like to review some information on “load balancing” and “session affinity” and try your hand a couple of practice test questions.
Load Balancing
A load balancer can optimize and distribute data loads across multiple computers or multiple networks. Organizations commonly use a load balancer when hosting a web site among multiple servers in a web farm. The following configuration shows a typical configuration.
When a user connects to the web site, the load balancer uses an algorithm to direct the user to a specific web server. Different users are connected to different web servers and the overall result is that the load is balanced among each of the servers.
Load balancers can be hardware based of software based. In a hardware-based cluster, the hardware device controls all of the traffic to the servers in the load balancing cluster. In a software-based load balancer, each of the servers in the load balancing cluster includes software to support the cluster.
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Example Practice Test Question
Q. A web site is hosted on four different web servers. What would you use to ensure each web server has an equal amount of traffic?
A. Load balancer
B. Proxy server
C. TDR
D. Throughput tester
Answer and explanation below
Another resource available to help you take and pass the Network+ N10-005 exam the first time you take it is practice test questions for your mobile phone or other mobile device. Check it out here.
Session Affinity
Many times when a user is browsing through a site, they create an active session. Session data is maintained to ensure that the user experience is consistent.
In a load balancing cluster, it’s important for the user to always use the same server in the load balancing cluster during a session. This is referred to as session affinity or sometimes as server affinity. The load balancer is responsible for maintaining session affinity.
As an example, imagine a user decides to purchase the You Can Do Anything (Three Simple Steps to Success) book from darrilgibson.com. Several steps and several web pages are included in the session. The user adds the item to the cart, clicks a button to checkout, enters shipping and billing information, and completes the sale. During this session, the user needs to connect to the same server for each step.
If the user added the item to the shopping cart on Web Server A, but was then redirected to Web Server B after clicking the checkout button, the shopping cart would be empty. Web Server B doesn’t have the session information from Web Server A. The problem is avoided by using session affinity to ensure the user connects to the correct server for each step in the session.
Example Practice Test Question
Q. Of the following choices, what does a load balancer provide? (Choose all that apply.)
A. Content filtering and web page caching
B. Internet usage reports and web page caching
C. Distribution of network requests and increased availability
D. Session affinity
Answer and explanation below
Practice Test Answers
I’m betting these questions were very easy for you because the answer is the topic. However, it’s valuable to take your time to understand why the incorrect answers are incorrect as well. These questions include in-depth answers.
Network+ Practice Test Questions
If you’re looking for similar practice test questions for Network+, check out the CompTIA Network+ N10-005: Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead)
Or get Network+ practice test questions for your mobile device.
Security+ Practice Test Questions
If you’re looking for similar practice test questions for Security+, check out the CompTIA Security+: Get Certified Get Ahead: SY0-401 Study Guide or the CompTIA Security+ SY0-401 Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead).
Or get Security+ practice test questions for your mobile device.
1 – Load Balancer
Q. A web site is hosted on four different web servers. What would you use to ensure each web server has an equal amount of traffic?
A. Load balancer
B. Proxy server
C. TDR
D. Throughput tester
Answer: A is correct. A load balancer can balance the amount of traffic (the load) among multiple servers. A load balancer can be a hardware appliance, or
software installed on each of the systems.
B is incorrect. A proxy server provides Internet access to internal clients and includes web site caching to improve performance.
C is incorrect. A time domain reflectometer (TDR) is used to identify the location of a break in a cable.
D is incorrect. A throughput tester measures how much data can be transferred between two systems to identify the bandwidth.
Objective: 4.1 Explain the purpose and features of various network appliances.
What’s next after Network+ for you?
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2 – Session Affinity
Q. Of the following choices, what does a load balancer provide? (Choose all that apply.)
A. Content filtering and web page caching
B. Internet usage reports and web page caching
C. Distribution of network requests and increased availability
D. Session affinity
Answer: C is correct. A load balancer will balance the load among several network devices (such as several web servers). It can also sense when any of the devices fail
and stop sending traffic to the failed device, which increases availability.
D is correct. A load balancer uses session affinity to ensure that a client will always contact the same server during an active session.
A is incorrect. A content filter can filter traffic based on content such as specific web site addresses or key words. A proxy server can also filter traffic based on web site addresses and will cache web site pages to improve performance.
B is incorrect. A proxy server can track user statistics such as web site visits, and cache web pages.
Objective: 4.1 Explain the purpose and features of various network appliances.
Other Study Resources
Here are some links to more resources to help you pass the Network+ exam the first time you take it.
- About the Network+ Certification
- Network+ blogs organized by categories
- Network+ performance based questions
- Practice test questions for your mobile device
- CompTIA Network+ N10-005 Practice Test Questions (Get Certified Get Ahead)
- CompTIA Network+ Basic Networking Components (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short)
- CompTIA Network+ OSI Topics (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short)
- CompTIA Network+: Tools (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short)
- CompTIA Network+ Wireless Topics (A Get Certified Get Ahead Kindle Short)
Good Luck with the Exam
I hope you’ve found this information on load balancing and session affinity useful. Good luck on the exam.
