SK0-005 Practice Test 22 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A server administrator is troubleshooting a server that is unable to connect to the network. The server's NIC link light is off. The administrator verifies that the switch port is enabled and the cable is connected to both the server and the switch. Which of the following should the administrator check NEXT?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

The cable is faulty or not properly seated.. When the NIC link light is off, the issue is almost always physical layer: cable, port, or NIC hardware. Since the switch port is enabled and the cable is connected, the next step is to verify the cable's integrity and seating. Trying a different cable or reseating the existing one can quickly resolve the problem. Other options address higher-layer issues that would not cause the link light to be off.

Answer

The switch port is configured for the wrong VLAN.

Answer

The cable is a crossover cable and needs to be replaced with a straight-through cable.

Answer

The NIC driver version and update if necessary.

Question 2

A server administrator is adding a second CPU to a dual-socket server that currently has one CPU installed. The server boots with one CPU but fails to POST after the second CPU is installed. The administrator verifies the CPU is seated correctly and the socket is clean. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The server requires memory to be installed in the slots associated with the second CPU before it will POST.. Dual-socket motherboards assign separate memory slots to each processor. When a second CPU is installed, the system expects memory in that CPU's associated slots; without it, the CPU cannot initialize and the server will not POST. Checking that each populated socket has memory in its corresponding channels is the key step for this scenario.

Answer

The second CPU is not on the motherboard's qualified vendor list for dual-socket operation.

Answer

The server's power supply wattage is insufficient for two CPUs.

Answer

The second CPU requires a different heatsink than the first CPU.

Question 3

A Linux server running Ubuntu Server 22.04 hosts a PostgreSQL database. The administrator notices that the database performs well in the morning but becomes progressively slower throughout the day, and free memory drops steadily. Running free -h shows that available memory is nearly exhausted, but the swap partition is barely used. Which command should the administrator use to identify the process consuming the most memory?

Accepted Answer

top -o %MEM. The top command with the -o %MEM option sorts running processes by memory consumption, directly identifying the process responsible for the steady memory decline. Other tools like vmstat, iostat, and sar provide system-wide statistics but lack per-process detail. For a Linux server experiencing memory pressure, top is the most efficient first step to isolate the offending process.

Answer

vmstat 1 10

Answer

iostat -x 5

Answer

sar -r 1 5

Question 4

A technician is diagnosing a server that intermittently reboots under heavy load. The server has dual CPUs, 256GB of RAM, and four 1TB NVMe drives. The technician suspects a hardware issue. Which of the following should the technician check to confirm a power-related problem? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Review the IPMI event log for power supply failures or voltage warnings. Power-related intermittent reboots under load are best diagnosed by reviewing the IPMI event log for power supply warnings and verifying that the power supply capacity meets the total system draw. These two checks directly address power delivery and capacity. Other options target thermal or memory issues, which are less likely given the load-correlated symptom.

Answer

Use a multimeter to measure the voltage at the wall outlet

Answer

Run a CPU stress test and monitor core temperatures

Answer

Reseat the memory modules and run a memory diagnostic

Question 5

A server administrator is troubleshooting a server that is unable to connect to the network. The server's NIC link light is off. The administrator verifies that the switch port is enabled and the cable is connected to both the server and the switch. Which of the following should the administrator check NEXT?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Task Manager. Task Manager is the best tool for quickly identifying a process consuming excessive CPU. It provides a real-time list of processes with CPU usage percentages, allowing the administrator to sort and pinpoint the culprit. While other tools offer more detailed analysis, Task Manager is the most direct and efficient for this immediate troubleshooting need.

Answer

Performance Monitor

Answer

Event Viewer

Answer

Resource Monitor

Question 6

A company is reviewing its disaster recovery plan. The plan currently states that a full backup is performed every Sunday and incremental backups are performed Monday through Saturday. A disaster destroys the primary server on Wednesday at 2:00 PM, after the Wednesday incremental backup has completed. The administrator needs to restore the server to the most recent state possible. Which of the following backup sets should the administrator restore?

Accepted Answer

The most recent full backup and all incremental backups since that full backup. Incremental backups record only changes since the last backup, so a restore requires the last full backup plus every incremental in order. Restoring the full plus all incrementals since that full recreates the data as of the last incremental. Using only the latest incremental or only the full would lose data, and differential backups are not part of this schedule.

Answer

The most recent full backup only

Answer

The most recent full backup and the most recent differential backup

Answer

The most recent full backup and the most recent incremental backup

Question 7

A datacenter manager must protect a file server's data against a single hard disk failure while maximizing usable capacity. The server has four 4 TB drives and a hardware RAID controller. Which RAID level should be implemented?

Accepted Answer

RAID 5. The requirement is to survive one disk failure while maximizing usable capacity on four 4 TB drives. RAID 5 stripes both data and single parity across all members, so one drive's worth of capacity is lost to parity, yielding roughly 12 TB usable. It tolerates exactly one disk failure, matching the requirement, and provides more usable space than mirroring or double parity. RAID 0 offers no redundancy, so it fails the fault-tolerance condition.

Answer

RAID 0

Answer

RAID 1

Answer

RAID 6

Question 8

A system administrator is configuring a RAID array for a database server that requires high fault tolerance and improved read performance. The array will consist of six 1 TB drives. The administrator wants to maximize usable capacity while being able to survive a single drive failure. Which RAID level should the administrator choose?

Accepted Answer

RAID 5. RAID 5 provides fault tolerance by surviving one drive failure and maximizes usable capacity by using only one drive's worth of space for parity. With six drives, it yields 5 TB usable, which is higher than RAID 6 or RAID 1. It also offers better read performance than a single drive or mirror, meeting the database server's needs.

Answer

RAID 1

Answer

RAID 0

Answer

RAID 6

Question 9

A security administrator is configuring disk encryption on a new file server that will store regulated data. The server has a TPM 2.0 chip and runs Windows Server 2022. The administrator wants to ensure that the encryption keys are protected and that the server can boot without requiring a USB key at every restart. Which configuration should the administrator use?

Accepted Answer

Enable BitLocker on the system volume and store the recovery key in Active Directory, using TPM-only protection.. BitLocker with TPM-only protection allows the server to start without user interaction because the TPM validates boot components and releases the key. Storing the recovery key in Active Directory ensures that administrators can recover access if the TPM changes or the volume becomes locked, satisfying both unattended boot and key protection.

Answer

Enable BitLocker with a startup PIN and store the PIN in a secure password vault.

Answer

Use EFS to encrypt the data folders instead of BitLocker, and back up the EFS certificate to a smart card.

Answer

Enable BitLocker with a USB startup key and keep the USB key plugged into the server at all times.

Question 10

A company runs a critical file server on Windows Server 2022 with a RAID 5 array of four 4-TB SAS drives. During a routine check, the administrator notices that the array is in a degraded state because one drive has failed. While waiting for a replacement drive to arrive, a second drive fails. The administrator needs to restore access to the data as quickly as possible. Which of the following should the administrator do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Restore the most recent backup to a new array or server.. In a RAID 5 array, a single drive failure is tolerated, but a second failure renders the array inoperable. The administrator must recover from backup to restore data and service. Replacing drives or forcing them online will not recover the data and may cause further damage. Restoring from backup is the only reliable method to regain access.

Answer

Force the second failed drive online using the RAID controller management utility.

Answer

Replace both failed drives and let the RAID controller rebuild the array automatically.

Answer

Swap the failed drives with new ones and initialize the array, then restore from backup.

Question 11

A technician is diagnosing a server that intermittently reboots under heavy load. The server is in a rack with proper airflow, and the operating system logs show no software errors. Which of the following should the technician check as part of the hardware diagnosis? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Review the baseboard management controller event log for correctable and uncorrectable memory errors.. Intermittent reboots under heavy load point to hardware causes such as memory errors or power delivery problems. The BMC event log can reveal ECC errors that the OS never sees, and a power budget check can expose an undersized or failing supply. Both are direct hardware diagnostics for load-dependent resets. Page file sizing, malware scans, and RAID rebuilds do not explain this symptom.

Answer

Rebuild the RAID array to clear any latent media errors on the data disks.

Answer

Confirm that the operating system's page file is sized to at least twice the installed physical RAM.

Answer

Update the antimalware definitions and run a full system scan to rule out a rootkit.

Question 12

A company's backup policy requires that all server backups be written to removable media that can be stored offsite. The backup administrator is configuring a new Windows Server 2022 server and needs to ensure that the backup target appears as a locally attached disk to the backup software. The media must support being rotated daily and must not require the server to be powered off. Which type of storage should the administrator use?

Accepted Answer

External USB 3.0 hard disk drive. The requirement is for removable media that appears as a locally attached disk and can be rotated offsite without powering down the server. An external USB hard drive meets all these conditions: it presents as a local disk, is easily removable, and supports daily rotation. Other options either do not appear as local disks or are not designed for frequent physical transport.

Answer

Tape library connected via Fibre Channel

Answer

Internal SATA solid-state drive (SSD) in a hot-swap bay

Answer

iSCSI target on a network-attached storage (NAS) device

Question 13

A server administrator is troubleshooting a server that is unable to connect to the network. The server's NIC link light is off. The administrator verifies that the switch port is enabled and the cable is connected to both the server and the switch. Which of the following should the administrator check NEXT?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

journalctl -b -1. When a Linux server becomes unresponsive, the administrator needs to inspect logs from the previous boot to identify a kernel panic or other fatal event. The systemd journal retains logs across reboots if persistent storage is configured. The journalctl -b -1 command specifically selects the boot before the current one, allowing review of kernel messages, service failures, and panic traces. Other commands either show only the current boot or require a live, responsive system.

Answer

tail -f /var/log/messages

Answer

cat /proc/kmsg

Answer

dmesg

Question 14

A server administrator receives alerts that a server's RAID 5 array has a failed drive. The administrator replaces the failed drive with a new one of the same model and capacity. After the rebuild completes, the administrator notices that the array is still showing as degraded. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the array remaining degraded?

Accepted Answer

Another drive in the array has failed or is reporting errors.. After replacing a failed drive and completing a rebuild, a RAID 5 array should return to optimal. If it remains degraded, the most probable cause is an additional drive failure or errors on another drive. RAID 5 can tolerate only one drive failure; a second failure leaves the array degraded. Checking all drive statuses is essential.

Answer

The new drive was not properly initialized or added to the array.

Answer

The replacement drive is not compatible with the RAID controller.

Answer

The RAID controller needs to be reset to recognize the new drive.

Question 15

An administrator installs a new PCIe NVMe solid-state drive into a server's x8 slot, but the operating system does not detect it. The slot is enabled in BIOS, the drive is on the compatibility list, and it is fully seated. The motherboard manual notes that the slot shares lanes with an onboard SAS controller that is currently enabled. Which of the following should the administrator do to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Disable the onboard SAS controller in BIOS or relocate the drive to a slot with dedicated lanes.. PCIe lane sharing means an add-in slot and an onboard controller cannot both use the same lanes simultaneously. With the onboard SAS controller enabled, the shared slot has no lanes to train the NVMe drive, so the OS never sees it. Disabling the onboard controller or moving the card to a slot with dedicated lanes restores the electrical link and allows detection.

Answer

Update the NVMe drive firmware so it enumerates in the shared slot.

Answer

Move the drive to a different x8 slot and leave the onboard SAS controller enabled.

Answer

Set the slot's bifurcation to x4x4 in BIOS to split the available lanes.