SK0-005 Practice Test 16 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A server administrator is troubleshooting a server that is unable to boot from its local RAID 1 array. The server POSTs successfully, but after the RAID controller initialization, the message 'No boot device found' is displayed. The administrator verifies that both drives in the array are online and the RAID controller reports the array as optimal. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The boot order in the system BIOS/UEFI is incorrect.. The system firmware must be set to boot from the RAID controller. If the boot order is incorrect, the server will not find the bootable volume even though the array is healthy. The correct answer addresses this configuration issue.

Answer

The RAID controller firmware is outdated and needs to be updated.

Answer

The bootloader on the RAID volume is corrupted.

Answer

The RAID array is degraded, but the controller has not yet reported it.

Question 2

A server's performance degrades significantly during peak usage hours. Monitoring shows high memory utilization and consistently high disk I/O. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Page file location and configuration. High memory utilization combined with consistently high disk I/O strongly suggests the system is paging — moving memory contents to and from disk because physical RAM is exhausted. The page file's location and configuration directly affect paging performance, so checking it first is the most targeted diagnostic step. If the page file is on a slow disk, is too small, or is fragmented across volumes, it can cause severe I/O bottlenecks during peak usage.

Answer

RAID controller battery status

Answer

Network bandwidth utilization

Answer

CPU utilization statistics

Question 3

Refer to the exhibit. A Linux server started reporting I/O errors to its local disk. The administrator runs `dmesg` and sees the output shown. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the errors?

Accepted Answer

The disk has a bad sector that cannot be remapped.. I/O errors reported by dmesg that reference specific sectors on a local disk typically indicate a bad sector that the drive's firmware cannot remap to a spare sector. When the disk's spare sector pool is exhausted or the error is unrecoverable, the kernel logs I/O errors against the affected block device. This is the most likely cause when the errors are isolated to a single disk and no other systemic issues are present.

Answer

The filesystem on /dev/sda is corrupted.

Answer

The SCSI cable is loose.

Answer

The RAID controller firmware is outdated.

Question 4

A technician is installing a new server for a department. The server will run a single application that requires high reliability. The operating system should be protected against a single disk failure without sacrificing read performance. Which RAID configuration is MOST appropriate?

Accepted Answer

RAID 1. RAID 1 mirrors the OS drive, providing fault tolerance and good read performance. Option A (RAID 0) has no redundancy. Option B (RAID 5) requires at least three disks and has write penalty. Option C (RAID 6) requires at least four disks and is overkill for a simple OS mirror.

Answer

RAID 5

Answer

RAID 6

Answer

RAID 0

Question 5

A server fails to boot with an 'Operating System Not Found' error. The BIOS detects the hard drive. What is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Corrupted Master Boot Record. A corrupted Master Boot Record (MBR) can prevent the system from locating the OS loader even when the drive is detected by BIOS. Option A (incorrect memory timings) would typically cause POST failures, not a missing OS message. Option C (failed CPU) would prevent POST entirely. Option D (overheating) would likely cause shutdowns before OS load.

Answer

Failed CPU

Answer

Incorrect memory timings

Answer

Overheating

Question 6

A server has been experiencing random crashes and generating memory-related errors in the system event log. The technician has already run memory diagnostics which show frequent errors on a single DIMM. The server has four DIMMs installed. Which of the following is the BEST next step?

Accepted Answer

Replace the failing DIMM with a known good, matching module. The memory diagnostics already identified a single faulty DIMM, so the most direct and effective next step is to replace that specific module with a known good, matching one. This resolves the immediate hardware failure without unnecessary cost or downtime. Matching ensures compatibility and avoids introducing new issues.

Answer

Update the BIOS firmware

Answer

Replace all four DIMMs to prevent future issues

Answer

Reseat all DIMMs and re-run diagnostics

Question 7

A server administrator receives reports that a production server is shutting down unexpectedly after running for several hours. The server is a 2U rackmount unit located in a data center with proper ambient cooling (20°C/68°F). The server has redundant power supplies connected to separate PDUs and no power anomalies are reported. The administrator checks the operating system event logs and finds a critical log entry: 'The system was shut down due to a thermal event.' However, the CPU temperature logs show that the CPU was at 47°C at the time of shutdown, and the chassis inlet temperature was 23°C. The server's internal fans are running at high speed and are clearly audible. The administrator suspects a thermal issue but is unsure why the CPU is not showing high temperature. The server has a baseboard management controller (BMC) that monitors various sensors. Which of the following components should the administrator investigate FIRST to identify the likely cause of the shutdown?

Accepted Answer

Inspect the voltage regulator module (VRM) temperatures and airflow around the motherboard.. Option B is correct because voltage regulator modules (VRMs) can overheat and trigger a thermal shutdown via the BMC even when the CPU temperature is within normal limits. VRMs are often located in areas with restricted airflow and are critical to CPU power delivery. Option A is incorrect because CPU temperature is normal, so the heatsink is likely functioning. Option C is incorrect because power supply faults would not generate a thermal event. Option D is a possible long-term fix for a firmware bug, but physical inspection of temperature-sensitive components should come first.

Answer

Swap the redundant power supplies to rule out a failing PSU.

Answer

Replace the CPU heatsink and reapply thermal paste.

Answer

Update the server firmware and BIOS to the latest version.

Question 8

Several users report sluggish performance from a database server. The server administrator notices that the CPU fans are running at maximum speed and the baseboard management controller (BMC) reports CPU temperatures of 85°C even at idle. The administrator already cleaned dust from the chassis and verified all fans are operational. Which of the following should the administrator do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Reapply thermal paste on the CPU heat sinks.. High CPU temperatures at idle despite clean fans and operational cooling indicate a degraded thermal interface between the CPU and heatsink. Reapplying thermal paste restores heat transfer efficiency, which should bring temperatures down. This is the next logical step after ruling out dust and fan failures.

Answer

Add additional case fans to improve airflow.

Answer

Replace the CPU fans with higher RPM models.

Answer

Increase the fan speed thresholds in the BIOS.

Question 9

A server fails to complete POST and emits a series of beeps: two long, three short. According to the manufacturer's documentation, this beep code indicates a memory error. The server has eight DIMMs installed. Which of the following steps should the technician perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Reseat all memory modules and attempt to boot.. When a POST beep code indicates a memory error, the least invasive and most logical first step is to reseat all memory modules and retry the boot. Memory modules can become unseated due to thermal cycling, vibration, or incomplete installation, and reseating is a non-destructive action that may resolve the error without replacing hardware. Only if reseating fails should the technician proceed to more involved diagnostics such as testing individual DIMMs or replacing modules.

Answer

Replace all memory modules.

Answer

Clear the CMOS battery.

Answer

Update the server's UEFI firmware.

Question 10

After installing additional RAM modules in a server, the BIOS displays only a portion of the installed memory. The modules are identical in speed and size but from different manufacturers. Which of the following is the BEST initial troubleshooting step?

Accepted Answer

Reseat all memory modules and ensure proper slot population.. Reseating memory and checking population order (Option C) are the first steps because improper seating or incorrect slot placement can cause the BIOS to not recognize all modules. Updating BIOS (Option A) might help if a compatibility issue exists, but physical inspection should come first. Replacing the motherboard (Option B) is too extreme. Running memtest86 (Option D) is useful but should follow physical checks.

Answer

Replace the motherboard.

Answer

Run memtest86 immediately.

Answer

Update the server BIOS firmware.

Question 11

A server in a virtualized environment is experiencing VM performance degradation. The host server has adequate resources. The hypervisor logs show excessive 'ready' time for the CPU. Which of the following is the BEST action to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Reduce the number of VMs on the host. Reducing the number of VMs on the host reduces contention for CPU resources, decreasing ready time.

Answer

Disable hyper-threading on the host

Answer

Increase the number of vCPUs for the VM

Answer

Migrate the VM to a different host

Question 12

A company has a virtualized server environment with two physical hosts running VMware vSphere. Each host has 2 CPUs, 128GB RAM, and 6x 600GB SAS drives in RAID 10. Recently, host A experienced a power surge that caused it to shut down abruptly. After restarting, the host boots but the RAID controller reports that one of the drives in the RAID 10 array is missing. The administrator has a replacement drive of the same model. What should the administrator do first?

Accepted Answer

Check the RAID controller logs to determine if the drive is faulty or if it's a connection issue, and then reseat the drive or replace cables before replacing. Before replacing a drive, the administrator should check the RAID controller logs to determine whether the drive is actually faulty or if the issue is a connection problem (loose cable, backplane, or power surge damage). Reseating the drive or replacing cables is non-destructive and may resolve the issue without unnecessary drive replacement. Replacing a drive that is not actually faulty can trigger an unnecessary rebuild and risk array degradation.

Answer

Use the RAID controller utility to set the new drive as a hot spare and then reboot

Answer

Replace the missing drive with the new one and allow the RAID controller to automatically rebuild

Answer

Rebuild the entire RAID array after backing up data from the surviving drives

Question 13

Refer to the exhibit. An administrator is reviewing logs after a server experienced performance issues and unexpected shutdowns. Based on the log entries, which component is MOST likely failing?

Accepted Answer

Hard disk drive. The log entries show multiple SCSI medium errors, unrecovered read errors, and auto-reallocation failures on device sda, which are classic signs of a failing hard disk drive (Option B). A RAID controller (A) would typically show different errors, RAM (C) would cause memory-related errors, and a power supply (D) would trigger power event logs.

Answer

RAID controller

Answer

RAM module

Answer

Power supply

Question 14

A server that uses iSCSI storage has suddenly lost connectivity to all LUNs. The network team confirms no changes have been made. Which of the following is the FIRST step in troubleshooting this issue?

Accepted Answer

Verify the status of the iSCSI initiator service on the server.. The first step in troubleshooting iSCSI connectivity loss is to verify the status of the iSCSI initiator service on the server, because if the service is stopped or failed, the server cannot connect to any LUNs. This is a local, non-disruptive check that should precede network or hardware changes. It aligns with the troubleshooting principle of checking the most likely and least invasive cause first.

Answer

Check the VLAN configuration on the switch.

Answer

Replace the network cables to the storage array.

Answer

Reconfigure the IP address of the server.

Question 15

A server in the datacenter fails to power on after a scheduled power maintenance. The facility team confirms that power is being supplied to the rack. The server's front panel LED is not illuminated. Which of the following should the administrator check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the power cable is securely connected to the server and the PDU.. The first step is to verify that the power cable is securely connected to both the server and the PDU. Since the facility team confirms power is supplied to the rack, the issue likely lies in the connection to the server. A loose cable would prevent power from reaching the server, resulting in no front panel LED. This is a simple, non-invasive check that should be performed before replacing hardware or reseating components.

Answer

Reseat the CPU and memory modules.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Update the server's BIOS firmware.