SK0-005 Practice Test 9 — 10 Questions

Question 1

A server administrator configures a scheduled task to back up a database using a command-line tool. The task runs successfully when executed manually, but fails when run via the task scheduler. The log shows 'Error: Access denied.' What is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The scheduled task is running under the wrong user account.. Option C is correct because 'Access denied' usually points to permission issues; the task scheduler may run under a different user account that lacks necessary privileges. Option A is wrong because a full destination would yield a 'disk full' error, not access denied. Option B is wrong because if the tool were not installed, the error would be 'command not found.' Option D is wrong because a stopped database service would produce a connection error, not access denied.

Answer

The database service is stopped.

Answer

The command-line tool is not installed.

Answer

The backup destination is full.

Question 2

An administrator is monitoring a server that has a hardware RAID 5 array consisting of four 2 TB disks. The RAID controller's management software reports that one disk has a status of 'Pred Fail' (predictive failure). The array also has a dedicated hot spare disk already installed and set up. The array is still fully functional with no data loss, but the 'Pred Fail' warning indicates the disk is likely to fail soon. The server is a production database server that cannot be taken offline except for scheduled maintenance windows, which are not until the following weekend. The administrator needs to ensure data integrity and avoid any risk of downtime or data loss while waiting for the replacement. Which immediate action should the administrator take?

Accepted Answer

Use the RAID management software to initiate a proactive replacement of the pred fail disk with the hot spare. Option A is correct because replacing the failing disk with the hot spare proactively prevents the array from becoming degraded or failing if another disk fails, ensuring continuous protection. Option B is wrong because waiting risks catastrophic failure if another disk fails before the spare activates. Option C is wrong because a full backup is not a substitute for immediate redundancy restoration. Option D is wrong because removing the disk from the array manually would degrade it and risk data loss if another disk fails during the rebuild.

Answer

Wait for the disk to completely fail so that the hot spare will automatically rebuild the array

Answer

Take a full backup immediately and then replace the disk during the next maintenance window

Answer

Remove the pred fail disk from the array to force the hot spare to rebuild, then re-add the disk later

Question 3

A medium-sized business runs a critical internal application on a single physical server running Windows Server 2019. The application is memory-intensive, often using up to 24 GB out of 32 GB RAM during peak hours. Over the past week, the server has experienced three unexpected reboots, each occurring during peak load. The server is not part of a cluster, and all data is stored on local disks. You have checked the Windows System event log and found Event ID 41 (Kernel-Power) indicating an unexpected shutdown. There are no related critical errors in the Application log. You have also reviewed the server's firmware logs and found multiple corrected memory errors (ECC) over the last month, with an increase in frequency just before each crash. The server is under warranty, and the hardware vendor's diagnostic tools report a failing memory module in DIMM slot A1. The vendor has recommended replacing the faulty DIMM immediately. However, the server is currently processing critical end-of-quarter financial reports that cannot be interrupted for at least 6 hours. Which of the following is the BEST course of action to minimize risk of data loss and downtime until a planned maintenance window?

Accepted Answer

Inform management of the criticality, request emergency approval for immediate maintenance, and if denied, ensure current backups are verified and monitor the server closely for any signs of degradation until the maintenance window.. Option D is correct because it follows proper change management: informing stakeholders, seeking emergency approval if needed, and mitigating risk by verifying backups and monitoring. Option A is wrong because immediately shutting down would interrupt critical processing and potential data loss, without management approval. Option B is wrong because Windows Memory Diagnostic is a boot-time tool and cannot effectively isolate memory regions to avoid crashes on a running production system. Option C is wrong because the server has already crashed, indicating uncorrectable errors; continuing without action risks data corruption and further unplanned outages.

Answer

Use Windows Memory Diagnostic tool to try to isolate the memory region and prevent the application from using it.

Answer

Continue running the server as is, as ECC memory can correct errors and the server will only crash if errors are uncorrectable; the risk is low.

Answer

Immediately shut down the server, replace the faulty DIMM, and restart.

Question 4

A company has an internal web application running on a Windows Server 2019 IIS server. Recently, users have been experiencing intermittent slow responses and occasional '503 Service Unavailable' errors. The server has 32 GB RAM and currently hosts only this application. The application pool is configured to use a private memory limit of 2 GB and a request queue limit of 1000. Performance monitoring reveals that the application pool's private memory gradually increases over several hours until it reaches 2 GB, at which point the pool recycles. The slow responses and errors coincide with the recycling events. The administrator suspects a memory leak in the application code but cannot modify the application immediately. The server must remain available during business hours (8 AM to 8 PM). Which of the following is the best short-term mitigation?

Accepted Answer

Configure Performance Monitor alerts to recycle the application pool when memory usage reaches 1.8 GB, and schedule it during low-usage hours. Option A is correct because monitoring the memory usage and triggering a graceful recycle before hitting the limit can prevent sudden 503 errors and maintain availability, and it can be scheduled during off-peak times. Option B is wrong because scheduling a reboot requires downtime. Option C is wrong because adding RAM does not fix a memory leak; the pool will still hit its limit and recycle. Option D is wrong because restarting every hour would cause frequent disruptions and is not user-friendly.

Answer

Use a script to stop and start the application pool service every hour

Answer

Increase the physical RAM to 64 GB and raise the private memory limit to 4 GB

Answer

Schedule a nightly reboot of the server to clear memory and reset the application pool

Question 5

A system administrator is notified that a server with a RAID 5 array of four 2TB drives has a single failed drive. The server uses hot-swappable drives and a hardware RAID controller. Which of the following actions should the administrator perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Replace the failed drive and allow the array to rebuild.. Option A (Replace the failed drive and allow the array to rebuild) is correct because with a hot-spare, the array can rebuild automatically after replacing the failed drive, minimizing data vulnerability. Option B (Perform a full backup) is prudent but not immediate; the array is still functional in degraded mode. Option C (Reboot the server and access the RAID controller BIOS) delays recovery and may cause unnecessary downtime. Option D (Replace all drives to increase storage) is unnecessary and wasteful.

Answer

Replace all four drives with larger capacity drives to expand storage.

Answer

Reboot the server and enter the RAID controller BIOS to mark the drive as offline.

Answer

Perform a full backup of the array before taking any action.

Question 6

A Linux database server has recently exhibited sluggish response times. An analysis of system performance shows high CPU wait I/O, frequent page swapping, and a low cache hit ratio. The server has 16GB of RAM, and the database itself stores 100GB of active data. Which of the following is the MOST effective long-term solution to improve performance?

Accepted Answer

Increase the physical RAM in the server to at least 64GB.. Option C (Increase physical RAM to 64GB) is correct because the server is experiencing memory pressure leading to excessive swapping and low cache utilization. More RAM allows the database to cache a larger portion of active data in memory, reducing I/O wait and improving response times. Option A (Add faster SSDs) may reduce I/O wait but does not address the root cause—memory starvation. Option B (Tune the database query cache) might provide minor relief but is not a substitute for adequate memory. Option D (Increase swap space) would worsen performance by enabling more swapping.

Answer

Tune the database engine's query cache size.

Answer

Configure the server to use a larger swap partition.

Answer

Replace the existing hard drives with faster SSDs.

Question 7

Refer to the exhibit. A server administrator is troubleshooting a DNS resolution issue on a Windows Server 2019. The exhibit shows the output of the command `nslookup` queried against the server's own IP. Based on the output, what is the most likely cause of the resolution failure?

Accepted Answer

The DNS server does not have an A record for server1.contoso.com.. Option D is correct because the NXDOMAIN response indicates the queried name does not exist in the DNS zone. Option A is wrong because forwarding is irrelevant for an authoritative zone. Option B is wrong because reverse lookup zones are for IP-to-name resolution, not name-to-IP. Option C is wrong because root hints are used for recursion, not for authoritative responses.

Answer

The DNS server's root hints are misconfigured.

Answer

The DNS server is not configured to forward queries to an external DNS server.

Answer

The DNS server has an incorrect reverse lookup zone configuration.

Question 8

A company wants to protect its Microsoft SQL Server database with a backup strategy that provides point-in-time recovery up to every 15 minutes. The database is critical and runs on a dedicated server. Which backup schedule should be implemented?

Accepted Answer

Full backup weekly, differential daily, transaction log backups every 15 minutes.. Option B (Full backup weekly, differential daily, transaction log backups every 15 minutes) is correct because full and differential backups provide a base, while frequent transaction log backups enable granular point-in-time restore. Option A lacks transaction log backups, so recovery granularity is limited to daily. Option C uses mirroring, which is high availability (not a backup) and does not protect against logical corruption. Option D uses snapshot technology but snapshots alone are not a backup and may impact performance if taken every 15 minutes.

Answer

Use storage-level snapshots every 15 minutes on a SAN.

Answer

Full backup daily, differential backup hourly.

Answer

Set up database mirroring with automatic failover and full weekly backups.

Question 9

Refer to the exhibit. A server administrator encounters an authentication issue when accessing a web server. The exhibit shows an error from the Domain Controller's event log. What is the most likely cause of the problem?

Accepted Answer

The web server's service account is not configured to support AES encryption types.. Option B is correct because the error shows that the requested encryption types (etype 18 is AES) are missing from the account's available etypes, indicating the service account is not configured to support AES. Option A would produce a clock skew error. Option C would result in a password expiration event. Option D would cause name resolution or host not found errors, not a Kerberos encryption mismatch.

Answer

The DNS service is not resolving the web server's FQDN.

Answer

The domain controller clock is out of sync with the web server.

Answer

The service account for the web server has an expired password.

Question 10

An administrator needs to configure a critical web service on a Linux server to automatically restart if it crashes unexpectedly. The server uses systemd. Which of the following best accomplishes this goal?

Accepted Answer

Configure the service's systemd unit file with Restart=always. Option C is correct because setting Restart=always in the systemd unit file ensures the service restarts regardless of exit code, which is the proper systemd method. Option A is wrong because a cron job introduces a potential delay and is less reliable than built-in service supervision. Option B is wrong because an init.d script with a loop is an outdated approach and not recommended with systemd. Option D is wrong because inetd starts services on demand, not for persistent daemons.

Answer

Set the service to run under inetd so it starts on demand

Answer

Write a cron job to check the service status every minute and start it if stopped

Answer

Create an init.d script that loops and re-executes the service if it exits