CompTIA Network+ (N10-009)Networking ConceptsEasy
A network administrator needs to distribute incoming web traffic across three identical backend servers to prevent any single server from becoming overwhelmed. Which appliance should be deployed?
- ALoad balancer
- BVPN concentrator
- CProxy server
- DIDS
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Load balancer
A load balancer distributes client requests across multiple servers to optimize resource use and improve availability. Proxies forward requests on behalf of clients but do not inherently balance load across a server pool.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. A VPN concentrator terminates remote-access VPN tunnels, not web traffic distribution.
- C. A proxy server relays requests but doesn't distribute load among a pool by design.
- D. An IDS monitors for malicious traffic rather than distributing connections.
Load Balancer
A network appliance that distributes client requests across multiple servers to improve performance, availability, and fault tolerance.
- Uses algorithms like round robin or least connections
- Can perform health checks on backend servers
- Improves scalability and redundancy
Memory trick: Balance the load like a scale across servers