Which Solution Improves Availability with Minimal Effort?
Short answer
A Load balancing improves application availability and minimizes effort when replacing or adding a server by automatically redistributing traffic to healthy nodes.
Question
Key Takeaways
Tests the distinction between availability techniques; the trap is choosing replication for data redundancy when the scenario emphasizes effortless server replacement or addition.
Load balancing improves application availability by distributing traffic across multiple servers, so replacing or adding a server causes minimal disruption. This page explains why load balancing (A) beats replication, fault tolerance, and proxy servers for this SY0-701 scenario.
Common mistake: Many learners pick replication because it provides redundancy, but replication alone does not automatically redistribute incoming application traffic when a server is added or removed.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Load balancing (A) directly addresses availability by spreading client requests across a pool of servers. When a server is added or replaced, the load balancer can automatically redirect traffic to healthy nodes with minimal manual reconfiguration. This matches the question's requirement of "minimal effort in the event a server needs to be replaced or added." Community consensus supports A, as jbmac notes it "distributes traffic across multiple servers" and Fourgehan says traffic "can be redirected to other healthy servers automatically."
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Fault tolerance (B) is a design goal or capability, not a specific solution that eases server replacement; it typically requires redundant hardware and does not inherently simplify adding nodes. Proxy servers (C) forward requests and may cache content, but they do not provide high availability across server changes. Replication (D) copies data for redundancy or read scaling, but adding or replacing a server still requires configuring replication roles and does not by itself balance incoming application traffic. kambam argued replication handles switchover, yet that addresses data failover rather than effortless traffic redistribution.
Community Comment Notes
Most voters chose A, with jbmac explaining that load balancing ensures if one server goes down, "the load can be redistributed to the remaining servers without causing downtime." Fourgehan adds that traffic "can be redirected to other healthy servers automatically," requiring minimal manual intervention. kambam preferred D, arguing replication enables "easy switch over," but that addresses data availability and failover, not the traffic-distribution requirement of this scenario. Segunmx also selected A, noting load balancing keeps the application available even if one server goes down.
Exam Strategy
Focus on the key phrase "minimal effort when a server is replaced or added" — that points to traffic distribution, not data copying. Eliminate replication unless the scenario explicitly mentions data consistency, database failover, or read scaling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is replication (D) not the best choice for this scenario?
Does load balancing require manual effort when adding a new server?
Community Votes
67% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 4 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 4
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jbmac 👍 4 Answered AThe correct answer is: A. Load balancing Explanation: Load balancing is an optimal solution for improving application availability. It distributes traffic across multiple servers, ensuring that if one server goes down or needs to be replaced, the load can be redistributed to the remaining servers without causing downtime. This approach requires minimal effort, as it can automatically redirect traffic to healthy servers without manual intervention, meeting the company's goal of minimal effort when adding or replacing servers.
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kambam 👍 4 Answered DReplication is the correct answer. Where it says in the event that it needs to be replaced or added is key here. Replication will allow for easy switch over in the event something happens to primary servers.
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Fourgehan 👍 2 Answered ALoad balancing distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers to ensure that no single server is overwhelmed, thereby improving the availability and reliability of the application. If a server needs to be replaced or added, load balancing ensures minimal disruption because the traffic can be redirected to other healthy servers automatically. This solution requires minimal manual intervention or effort for server maintenance or replacement, making it the best choice for improving availability with minimal effort
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Segunmx 👍 2 Answered AA. Load balancing Explanation: Load balancing is the most appropriate solution for improving the availability of an application with minimal effort in the event a server needs to be replaced or added. Load balancing distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers, ensuring that no single server is overwhelmed and that the application can remain available even if one of the servers goes down.
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