CompTIA Cloud+ (CV0-004)OperationsEasy
A cloud administrator observes consistently high CPU utilization (90%+) on several virtual machines (VMs) during peak business hours. These VMs host a critical e-commerce application that experiences slow response times during these periods. The administrator needs to implement a solution that automatically adjusts resources to meet demand and prevent performance degradation without manual intervention. Which of the following scaling strategies should the administrator implement?
- AHorizontal scaling
- BVertical scaling
- CManual scaling
- DScheduled scaling
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Horizontal scaling
Horizontal scaling, also known as scaling out, involves adding more instances of a resource (e.g., VMs) to distribute the load. This is ideal for handling increased traffic for stateless applications like e-commerce, ensuring performance without manual intervention.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Vertical scaling (scaling up) increases the resources of a single instance, but has limits and can lead to downtime.
- C. Manual scaling requires human intervention and does not meet the requirement for automatic adjustment.
- D. Scheduled scaling is time-based and wouldn't react to unpredictable peak loads effectively.
Horizontal Scaling
Adding more instances of a resource (e.g., servers, VMs) to distribute the workload and handle increased demand.
- Also known as 'scaling out'.
- Ideal for stateless applications.
- Increases fault tolerance and capacity.
Memory trick: Horizontally, you add more friends to the party; Vertically, you make one friend bigger.