SK0-005 server-hardware-installation-management Practice Test 2 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is installing a new server into a rack that has limited vertical space. The server's rail kit includes both tooled and tool-less mounting options. The rack has square holes with cage nuts already installed. Which of the following should the technician use to secure the server rails?

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

Accepted Answer

Tooled rails secured with screws into the cage nuts. When cage nuts are already installed in a square-hole rack, the correct method is to use tooled rails and secure them with screws into those cage nuts. This provides a solid, reliable mount and leverages the existing hardware. Tool-less options are not appropriate here because the cage nuts occupy the holes and may interfere with the rail's locking mechanism.

Answer

Tool-less rails that clip directly into the square holes

Answer

Tool-less rails after removing the cage nuts

Answer

Tooled rails with self-tapping screws directly into the square holes

Question 2

A technician is installing a new 2U rack server that uses 2.5-inch NVMe U.2 drives in the front bays and a single RAID controller card. After cabling the drives to the backplane, the technician must connect the backplane to the RAID controller. Which of the following connections should the technician use to ensure all drives are visible to the controller?

Accepted Answer

Connect the backplane to the RAID controller using a mini-SAS HD (SFF-8643) cable.. A 2U server backplane aggregates multiple drive connections into a single high-density port, so the correct cabling is an internal mini-SAS HD cable from the backplane to the RAID controller. This allows the controller to detect and manage every installed drive. Individual SATA cables or external SAS paths do not match the backplane connector or the internal topology of this chassis.

Answer

Connect the backplane to the RAID controller using a standard SATA data cable.

Answer

Connect the backplane to the RAID controller using an external SAS cable routed through a PCIe slot bracket.

Answer

Connect each drive directly to a SATA port on the motherboard.

Question 3

A technician is preparing to add four new hot-swap SAS drives to an existing 2U server that currently has six drives in a RAID 10 array. The server has been running continuously for two years in a data center with proper cooling and no prior hardware failures. Before performing the installation, which of the following should the technician do FIRST to maintain data integrity and follow best practices?

Accepted Answer

Back up the existing RAID configuration and verify the backup is restorable. Before modifying storage hardware, the technician must ensure a recent, verified backup exists. Adding drives can trigger controller reconfiguration, backplane issues, or accidental array changes. A tested backup provides a fallback if the operation fails. Other steps like firmware updates or consistency checks are useful but do not replace the foundational data protection step.

Answer

Power down the server and physically inspect the drive bays for damage

Answer

Update the RAID controller firmware to the latest version

Answer

Run a consistency check on the existing RAID 10 array

Question 4

A systems administrator is configuring a new server with four identical 16GB RDIMMs in a motherboard that supports quad-channel memory. The administrator installs the modules in slots A1, A2, B1, and B2, but the system BIOS reports only 32GB of usable memory and posts a memory configuration warning. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The modules were installed in the wrong slot population order for quad-channel operation. On a quad-channel platform, the first DIMM in each set must go into a different channel so all four channels are populated. Installing pairs into adjacent slots of the same channel leaves channels empty and can cause the BIOS to disable half the modules, producing the reduced capacity and configuration warning described.

Answer

The memory modules are ECC RDIMMs and the motherboard only supports UDIMMs

Answer

The BIOS memory remap feature is disabled, hiding memory above 4GB

Answer

The RDIMMs are not on the motherboard's qualified vendor list

Question 5

A server administrator is planning to install a new PCIe SSD into a server to improve database performance. The server has available PCIe 3.0 x8 slots. Which of the following should the administrator verify before installation? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

The server's firmware and driver support for the specific PCIe SSD model. The administrator must verify firmware/driver support and physical slot compatibility. Firmware and drivers ensure the SSD is recognized and functions correctly. Physical slot length and height ensure the card fits without obstruction. Other factors like power connectors or RAID cache battery are not relevant to PCIe SSD installation.

Answer

The availability of an empty memory slot for caching

Answer

The server's RAID controller cache battery status

Answer

The server's power supply wattage and available power connectors

Question 6

A technician is installing a new 1U server into a rack. The server has a rail kit that supports both square-hole and round-hole racks. After mounting the server, the technician notices the server is not flush with the rack front and the rails feel loose. Which of the following is the most likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The technician used the wrong type of mounting hardware (e.g., cage nuts vs. threaded holes) for the rack.. The correct answer is the use of incorrect mounting hardware. Racks come with either square holes (requiring cage nuts) or round threaded holes. If the technician uses the wrong hardware, the rails will not secure tightly against the rack posts, causing looseness and preventing the server from sitting flush. Proper rail installation requires matching the hardware to the rack hole type, often using adapters included with the rail kit.

Answer

The server is too heavy for the rails and they are deflecting under the load.

Answer

The rail kit is designed for a different rack depth and does not properly engage the rack posts.

Answer

The rails were installed in the wrong orientation (left vs. right).

Question 7

A server administrator is troubleshooting a server that intermittently reboots under heavy load. The server has a 1000W power supply, but the administrator suspects power issues. After checking the power supply, the administrator notices the server is connected to a 120V/15A circuit via a standard power cord. What is the most likely cause of the reboots?

Accepted Answer

The server is drawing more current than the circuit can provide.. The most likely cause is that the server's power draw exceeds the capacity of the 120V/15A circuit, especially under heavy load. A 15A circuit can safely deliver about 1440W continuously. If the server draws more, the circuit breaker may trip or voltage may drop, causing reboots. The power supply rating alone does not guarantee adequate circuit capacity.

Answer

The power supply is not connected to a UPS.

Answer

The power supply is insufficient for the server's load.

Answer

The power cord is not rated for the server's power requirements.

Question 8

A technician is installing a new tower server that will host a database for a small office. The server's documentation states the memory controller supports up to 3200 MT/s and the installed CPU supports DDR4-2933. The technician installs four DDR4-3200 UDIMMs in the four slots of a single channel. After POST, the system reports the memory running at 2133 MT/s. Which of the following is the MOST likely reason for the reduced speed?

Accepted Answer

The DIMMs are installed in a single memory channel, and the platform enforces a lower frequency when only one channel is populated.. The memory controller negotiates a supported data rate based on how the DIMMs are installed. When all modules are placed in a single channel, the controller cannot interleave across channels and falls back to a conservative JEDEC speed, commonly 2133 MT/s. Spreading the same modules across multiple channels restores the higher rate supported by both the CPU and the DIMMs.

Answer

The memory is running at the CPU's base memory speed because the installed DIMMs are quad-rank and the platform downclocks quad-rank modules.

Answer

The DDR4-3200 DIMMs are incompatible with the DDR4-2933 CPU, so the platform defaults to the JEDEC standard 2133 MT/s fallback.

Answer

The system firmware has XMP disabled, and without an XMP profile the memory always runs at 2133 MT/s regardless of module rating.

Question 9

An administrator is troubleshooting a rack server that intermittently powers off under heavy load. The server has two hot-plug power supplies, and the rack's power distribution is being reviewed. Which of the following should the administrator verify? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Each power supply is rated to carry the full load alone with the other supply removed.. Redundant power supplies protect against failure only when each unit can carry the full load alone and each is fed from an independent power path. A shared PDU, shared branch circuit, or undersized single supply turns a routine feed loss into an outage. Reviewing upstream independence and per-supply capacity addresses the intermittent shutdowns seen under heavy load.

Answer

The combined wattage rating of both supplies exceeds the server's peak power draw with margin.

Answer

The server's power cap in the management controller is set below the workload's actual consumption.

Answer

The power supplies are the same wattage, model, and firmware revision.

Question 10

A server administrator is populating a dual-socket server that supports eight DIMM slots per processor. The administrator installs eight identical RDIMMs in the slots labeled for CPU1 and powers on the server. POST reports only half of the installed capacity. Which of the following is the MOST likely explanation?

Accepted Answer

The memory is installed in the wrong slot order, leaving one memory channel per processor unpopulated.. Memory population order is dictated by the platform's channel and slot layout. Filling only the slots that map to a subset of channels leaves the integrated memory controller with fewer active channels, so POST enumerates only the memory on those channels. Consulting the service manual's population table and moving modules into the required slots per channel restores full capacity.

Answer

The server's memory operating mode is set to mirroring, which halves the usable capacity by design.

Answer

The DIMMs are rated at a speed the processor does not support, so the controller downclocks and disables half of them.

Answer

The DIMMs are unbuffered and the platform requires registered memory, so half the modules are disabled.

Question 11

A technician is deploying a new server with two 10GbE network interface cards. The server must remain reachable if a single NIC, cable, or switch fails, and the solution must work without special switch configuration. Which of the following should the technician implement?

Accepted Answer

Network interface teaming in active-passive mode with each NIC on a separate switch. Active-passive teaming with the two NICs on separate switches provides failover at both the adapter and switch layers while requiring no switch-side configuration, because only the active link forwards traffic at any time. Active-active and LACP options either need switch configuration or leave a shared switch as a failure point.

Answer

Link aggregation using LACP across both NICs connected to the same switch

Answer

Two independent NICs with separate IP addresses and no teaming

Answer

Network interface teaming in active-active mode with both NICs on the same switch

Question 12

A technician is tasked with upgrading the memory in a server that supports registered DIMMs (RDIMMs). The server currently has 4x 16GB RDIMMs installed in slots A1, A2, B1, and B2. The technician plans to add 4x 32GB RDIMMs. Which of the following should the technician do to ensure optimal performance and compatibility? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Install the new RDIMMs in the remaining slots, ensuring they are populated in the correct order per the server manual.. The two correct actions are to verify the new RDIMMs are on the QVL and to install them in the correct slot population order. The QVL ensures compatibility, while proper slot order enables multi-channel operation. Mixing capacities in the same channel can degrade performance, and memory mirroring is not necessary for a simple upgrade. Matching speed and voltage is ideal but not mandatory if the server supports mixed speeds.

Answer

Ensure all DIMMs operate at the same speed and voltage as the existing modules.

Answer

Enable memory mirroring in the BIOS to protect against memory errors.

Answer

Mix the 16GB and 32GB RDIMMs in the same channel to balance capacity.

Question 13

An administrator installs a PCIe NVMe SSD into a server's M.2 slot intended for boot devices and finds the drive is not detected by the operating system, although it appears in the management controller inventory. Which of the following is the MOST likely explanation?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot shares lanes with a PCIe riser, and the slot is disabled until the riser is depopulated.. On many servers the M.2 boot slot shares PCIe lanes with a riser or another onboard connector through a multiplexer. Populating the conflicting device causes firmware to disable the M.2 interface, leaving the drive visible to the management controller but invisible to the OS. Reviewing the platform's lane-sharing matrix and freeing the conflicting slot resolves detection.

Answer

The NVMe drive requires a SAS backplane connection that the M.2 slot does not provide.

Answer

The drive is formatted with a partition table the operating system cannot read.

Answer

The M.2 drive is installed upside down and is making no electrical contact.

Question 14

A technician installs a PCIe NVMe SSD into a server's M.2 slot. The drive is detected in the UEFI firmware setup but does not appear in the operating system's disk management utility. The server uses a hardware RAID controller for the front bays, and the OS was installed in UEFI mode. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The M.2 slot is wired to the chipset in SATA mode, and the NVMe drive requires a PCIe-mode slot or a BIOS setting change to enable PCIe signaling.. Firmware visibility with OS invisibility usually points to a signaling or lane configuration issue. An M.2 slot set to SATA mode, or one that shares PCIe lanes, may show the device in setup but not present it as a usable NVMe namespace to the OS. Switching the slot to PCIe mode or relocating the drive to a PCIe-capable slot restores detection. RAID foreign configuration, missing inbox drivers, and disk initialization do not fit the symptom.

Answer

The NVMe drive must be initialized as a GPT disk and assigned a drive letter before it appears in disk management.

Answer

The hardware RAID controller has claimed the M.2 slot and is presenting the NVMe drive only after a foreign configuration import.

Answer

The operating system lacks the NVMe driver because it was installed in UEFI mode without a driver slipstreamed into the boot image.

Question 15

A technician is adding a second physical CPU to a dual-socket 2U server that previously ran with only one CPU installed. After installing the CPU and heatsink, the server boots but the operating system reports only half the expected memory capacity, even though all DIMM slots are populated. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

Each CPU supports only the DIMM slots wired to its own integrated memory controller, and the slots for the second CPU are empty or unpopulated with matching modules.. Multi-socket servers divide memory slots between processors, with each CPU's integrated memory controller serving its own channels. Adding a CPU without populating its associated DIMM slots leaves that controller with no memory to report, so the OS sees only the first CPU's capacity. Verifying slot population per processor and reseating modules resolves the discrepancy.

Answer

The second CPU is not on the server's hardware compatibility list and the firmware disabled its memory controller.

Answer

The BIOS needs a firmware update to enable rank interleaving across both CPUs, which is required before memory is reported.

Answer

The DIMMs on the second CPU's memory channels are installed in a mirrored configuration and cannot be addressed by the OS.