There are five MySQL instances configured with a working group replication. Examine the output of the group members: Which two statements are true about network partitioning in the cluster? (Choose…

Question

Exhibit

Options

• AThe cluster will shut down to preserve data consistency.
• BThe cluster has built-in high availability and updates group_replication_ip_whitelist to remove the
• CThe group replication will buffer the transactions on the online nodes until the unreachable nodes
• DThere could be both a 2 node and 3 node group replication still running, so shutting down group
• EA manual intervention to force group members to be only the working two instances is required.

• A
  52% (14)
• C
  11% (3)
• D
  7% (2)
• E
  30% (8)

Explanation

When a network partition occurs in a 5-node MySQL Group Replication cluster, the behavior is governed by quorum rules (majority = 3+ nodes). If the partition leaves a minority group (e.g., 2 nodes) unable to reach a majority, those nodes lose quorum and automatically enter the ERROR state - ceasing all writes to protect data consistency, which is what option A describes. Option B is correct in asserting that Group Replication has built-in high availability mechanisms; however, note that the option text appears truncated in this question - the actual group_replication_ip_whitelist (now group_replication_ip_allowlist) is a static config, not dynamically updated by the cluster, so take that part of B carefully.

Why the distractors are wrong:

• C is false - Group Replication does not buffer/queue transactions waiting for unreachable nodes; it uses a quorum-based cut-off, not a wait-and-retry strategy.
• D is false - the minority partition (2 nodes) cannot sustain an independent active Group Replication cluster; it loses quorum and enters ERROR state, so there is no dual "split-brain" scenario in practice.
• E is partially true in forced-quorum recovery scenarios (using group_replication_force_members), but it contradicts the premise of A - the cluster's automatic shutdown behavior means the minority does not keep running pending manual action.

Memory tip: Think "Quorum or Quit" - in Group Replication, any partition that can't reach a majority of 5 nodes (i.e., needs 3+) automatically stops to avoid split-brain, making the shutdown behavior (A) the primary built-in protection.

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