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System Design - Scalability: Load Balancing Test 1

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What is the primary purpose of distributing network or application traffic across multiple servers?

to enhance system availability and reliability, improve response times and overall performance, and ensure fault tolerance and scalability.

What are the two types of load balancers based on the OSI model layers they operate on?

Layer 4 (Transport Layer) Load Balancers and Layer 7 (Application Layer) Load Balancers.

What is the outcome of not using load balancing in a network or application?

A single server becomes overwhelmed, leading to poor resource utilization, slow response times, and potential overload.

What is the concept of distributing requests sequentially across the pool of servers in a circular order?

<p>Round Robin load balancing algorithm.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the algorithm that routes traffic to the server with the fewest active connections?

<p>Least Connections algorithm.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a device designed for high-performance load balancing, often providing advanced features like SSL offloading and DDoS protection?

<p>A hardware load balancer. Example: F5 BIG-IP.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the process of decrypting incoming SSL/TLS traffic at the load balancer and then forwarding it as plain HTTP to backend servers?

<p>SSL termination.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the concept of directing incoming requests from a client to the same backend server for the duration of a session?

<p>Session persistence (sticky sessions).</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the benefits of using Layer 7 (Application Layer) Load Balancers?

<p>They can make decisions based on application-specific data, such as HTTP headers and cookies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the advantage of using a hardware load balancer over a software-based solution?

<p>Hardware load balancers provide high-performance load balancing with advanced features like SSL offloading and DDoS protection.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of session persistence in load balancing, and how does it achieve this?

<p>The primary purpose of session persistence is to ensure that a user's session is consistently directed to the same server for the duration of the session. This is achieved by storing session data locally on the server.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the key differences between traditional load balancing and Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB)?

<p>GSLB distributes traffic across multiple geographic locations to enhance global availability and disaster recovery capabilities, whereas traditional load balancing is limited to a single location.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the advantages of using software load balancers over hardware load balancers?

<p>Software load balancers offer flexibility, can be deployed on standard servers, and are suitable for both on-premises and cloud environments. They can be easily integrated with existing systems and provide customizable routing policies.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does geolocation-based routing improve latency and user experience?

<p>Geolocation-based routing directs traffic based on the geographic location of the client, aiming to improve latency and user experience by routing to the nearest data center.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of a reverse proxy, and how does it relate to load balancing?

<p>A reverse proxy is a server that forwards client requests to backend servers. It often performs load balancing by distributing incoming requests among multiple backend servers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using predictive load balancing over traditional load balancing?

<p>Predictive load balancing uses historical data and predictive analytics to anticipate traffic patterns and pre-emptively adjust resource allocation, helping to prepare for expected traffic spikes.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the benefit of separating the data plane and control plane in load balancing, and how does it improve scalability and security?

<p>Separating the data plane and control plane enhances scalability, flexibility, and security by allowing the control plane to manage configuration and policy decisions independently from the data plane, which handles actual traffic routing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of health checks in load balancing, and how do they improve the overall reliability of the system?

<p>Health checks are used to monitor the health of backend servers. Load balancers perform regular checks and remove unresponsive servers from the pool, ensuring traffic is only directed to healthy servers.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between an Application Delivery Controller (ADC) and a traditional load balancer?

<p>An ADC is an advanced load balancing device that provides additional services such as application acceleration, compression, SSL offloading, security features, and real-time traffic analysis.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary purpose of content-based load balancing, and how does it differ from traditional load balancing?

<p>Content-based load balancing routes traffic based on the content of the request, such as specific URLs, headers, or cookies, enabling more sophisticated routing decisions.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of cost-aware load balancing, and how does it achieve this goal in multi-cloud environments?

<p>The primary goal of cost-aware load balancing is to optimize resource allocation based on cost considerations. It achieves this goal by directing traffic to the most cost-effective resources, particularly in multi-cloud environments where pricing models vary.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does edge load balancing improve user experience, and what is the key benefit of processing requests at geographically dispersed edge locations?

<p>Edge load balancing improves user experience by reducing latency and enhancing performance. The key benefit of processing requests at geographically dispersed edge locations is that it reduces latency and enhances performance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of using synthetic monitoring in load balancing, and how does it help identify potential issues?

<p>The primary benefit of using synthetic monitoring in load balancing is that it helps identify potential issues before they impact real users. Synthetic monitoring achieves this by using simulated transactions to test and monitor system performance.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the key benefit of service mesh integration in load balancing, and how does it manage microservices communication?

<p>The key benefit of service mesh integration in load balancing is that it provides fine-grained traffic management, observability, and security features. Service mesh integration achieves this by managing microservices communication through a dedicated infrastructure layer.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using load balancing in multi-cloud deployments, and how does it enhance redundancy and flexibility?

<p>The primary advantage of using load balancing in multi-cloud deployments is that it enhances redundancy and flexibility by distributing traffic across multiple cloud providers. This approach avoids vendor lock-in and leverages the strengths of different cloud environments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of using distributed tracing in load balancing, and how does it help optimize load balancing configurations?

<p>The primary benefit of using distributed tracing in load balancing is that it provides insights into request paths, latency, and bottlenecks. Distributed tracing helps optimize load balancing configurations by providing these insights.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary advantage of using application-layer processing in load balancing, and how does it offload tasks from backend servers?

<p>The primary advantage of using application-layer processing in load balancing is that it offloads tasks from backend servers and enhances performance. Application-layer processing achieves this by providing advanced features like SSL termination, HTTP/2 support, WebSocket handling, and content-based routing.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of using real-time log analysis in load balancing, and how does it help adjust load balancing strategies dynamically?

<p>The primary benefit of using real-time log analysis in load balancing is that it helps adjust load balancing strategies dynamically. Real-time log analysis achieves this by providing insights into traffic patterns, server performance, and user behavior.</p> Signup and view all the answers

How does cost-aware load balancing optimize resource allocation in multi-cloud environments, and what are the implications of vendor lock-in?

<p>Cost-aware load balancing optimizes resource allocation in multi-cloud environments by directing traffic to the most cost-effective resources. The implications of vendor lock-in are that it can lead to inflexibility and reduced scalability, making it essential to avoid vendor lock-in in multi-cloud deployments.</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary benefit of integrating edge load balancing with service mesh integration, and how does it enhance overall system performance?

<p>The primary benefit of integrating edge load balancing with service mesh integration is that it enhances overall system performance by providing fine-grained traffic management, observability, and security features. This integration also reduces latency and enhances performance by processing requests at geographically dispersed edge locations.</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

What is Load Balancing?

  • Load balancing is the process of distributing network or application traffic across multiple servers to ensure no single server becomes overwhelmed, optimizing resource use, maximizing throughput, minimizing response time, and avoiding overload.

Types of Load Balancers

  • Layer 4 (Transport Layer) Load Balancers
  • Layer 7 (Application Layer) Load Balancers

Primary Purpose of Load Balancing

  • The primary purpose of load balancing is to enhance system availability and reliability, improve response times and overall performance, and ensure fault tolerance and scalability.

Load Balancing Algorithms

  • Round Robin: distributes requests sequentially across the pool of servers in a circular order
  • Least Connections: routes traffic to the server with the fewest active connections, balancing the load more evenly

Hardware Load Balancer

  • A dedicated device designed for high-performance load balancing, often providing advanced features like SSL offloading and DDoS protection
  • Example: F5 BIG-IP

SSL Termination

  • The process of decrypting incoming SSL/TLS traffic at the load balancer and then forwarding it as plain HTTP to backend servers, offloading the computational overhead from the application servers

Session Persistence (Sticky Sessions)

  • Ensures that a user’s session is consistently directed to the same server for the duration of the session, crucial for applications where session data is stored locally on the server

Global Server Load Balancing (GSLB)

  • Distributes traffic across multiple geographic locations to enhance global availability and disaster recovery capabilities, often by directing users to the nearest data center

Software Load Balancers

  • Offer flexibility, can be deployed on standard servers, and are suitable for both on-premises and cloud environments
  • Can be easily integrated with existing systems and provide customizable routing policies

Geolocation-Based Routing

  • Directs traffic based on the geographic location of the client, aiming to improve latency and user experience by routing to the nearest data center

Reverse Proxy

  • A server that forwards client requests to backend servers
  • Often performs load balancing by distributing incoming requests among multiple backend servers

Predictive Load Balancing

  • Uses historical data and predictive analytics to anticipate traffic patterns and pre-emptively adjust resource allocation, helping to prepare for expected traffic spikes

Separating Data Plane and Control Plane

  • Enhances scalability, flexibility, and security by allowing the control plane to manage configuration and policy decisions independently from the data plane, which handles actual traffic routing

Health Checks

  • Monitor the health of backend servers
  • Load balancers perform regular checks and remove unresponsive servers from the pool, ensuring traffic is only directed to healthy servers

Application Delivery Controller (ADC)

  • An advanced load balancing device that provides additional services such as application acceleration, compression, SSL offloading, security features, and real-time traffic analysis

Content-Based Load Balancing

  • Routes traffic based on the content of the request, such as specific URLs, headers, or cookies, enabling more sophisticated routing decisions

Traffic Mirroring

  • Duplicates live traffic to multiple environments for testing and analysis without impacting production
  • Used for performance testing, A/B testing, and debugging

Canary Releases

  • Involves directing a small portion of traffic to a new version of an application to test its performance and functionality before rolling it out to the entire user base

Mutual TLS (mTLS)

  • Ensures both the client and server authenticate each other, enhancing security by preventing unauthorized access and man-in-the-middle attacks

Load Balancing and DDoS Attacks

  • Help mitigate DDoS attacks by distributing traffic across multiple servers, absorbing and deflecting malicious traffic, and integrating with DDoS protection services

Latency-Aware Load Balancing

  • Continuously measures latency between clients and servers, directing traffic to the server with the lowest latency for each client, enhancing user experience by reducing response times

Cost-Aware Load Balancing

  • Optimizes resource allocation based on cost considerations, particularly in multi-cloud environments where pricing models vary, directing traffic to the most cost-effective resources

Edge Load Balancing

  • Distributes traffic at the network edge, closer to end users, reducing latency and enhancing performance by processing requests at geographically dispersed edge locations

Synthetic Monitoring

  • Uses simulated transactions to test and monitor system performance, helping to identify potential issues before they impact real users and ensuring proactive load balancing management

Service Mesh Integration

  • Involves managing microservices communication through a dedicated infrastructure layer, providing fine-grained traffic management, observability, and security features

Load Balancing in Multi-Cloud Deployments

  • Distributes traffic across multiple cloud providers, enhancing redundancy, avoiding vendor lock-in, and leveraging the strengths of different cloud environments

Distributed Tracing

  • Tracks requests as they propagate through microservices architectures, providing insights into request paths, latency, and bottlenecks, and helping to optimize load balancing configurations

Application-Layer Processing

  • Allows for advanced features like SSL termination, HTTP/2 support, WebSocket handling, and content-based routing, offloading these tasks from backend servers and enhancing performance

Real-Time Log Analysis and Load Balancing

  • Monitors traffic patterns, server performance, and user behavior, providing insights that can be used to adjust load balancing strategies dynamically, ensuring optimal performance and quick identification of issues

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