SK0-005 server-hardware-installation-management Practice Test 7 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A technician is installing a new rack-mounted server and needs to connect it to the network. The server has two onboard Ethernet ports labeled NIC1 and NIC2. The network team requires redundant connectivity to two different switches. Which of the following should the technician implement?

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

Accepted Answer

Connect NIC1 to switch A and NIC2 to switch B, then configure NIC teaming or bonding on the server.. Redundant connectivity to two switches requires each NIC to connect to a different switch and the operating system to present them as a single logical interface through teaming or bonding. This provides failover if a switch, cable, or port fails. Connecting both NICs to one switch or leaving one disconnected does not meet the redundancy requirement.

Answer

Connect NIC1 to switch A and NIC2 to switch B, then assign both NICs the same IP address without teaming.

Answer

Connect both NIC1 and NIC2 to switch A and configure link aggregation.

Answer

Connect NIC1 to switch A and leave NIC2 disconnected until a failure occurs.

Question 2

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.

Question 3

A technician needs to replace a failed hot-swap SAS drive in a running server. The array is configured as RAID 6 with a dedicated hot spare. Which of the following describes the correct procedure?

Accepted Answer

Remove the failed drive, insert the replacement, and allow the controller to rebuild the array onto it.. Hot-swap drive bays and backplanes allow a failed member to be removed and replaced while the server runs. Once the controller detects the new drive, it rebuilds the array automatically, restoring redundancy without interrupting service. RAID 6 can tolerate two simultaneous failures, and the hot spare adds another layer of protection during the rebuild window.

Answer

Move the hot spare into the failed drive's bay and leave the failed bay empty until a replacement arrives.

Answer

Replace the drive, then manually initialize the array from the controller BIOS to force a rebuild.

Answer

Power down the server, replace the drive, then power on and let the controller rebuild automatically.

Question 4

A technician is installing a new server that will host a virtualized environment. The server has 512GB of RAM installed as 16 x 32GB DIMMs. The technician notices that the server reports only 256GB of RAM during POST. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The DIMMs are installed in the wrong slots, causing half of them to be disabled. The most likely cause is incorrect DIMM slot population. Servers require DIMMs to be installed in a specific order to enable all channels. If half the DIMMs are in slots that are not activated without a corresponding slot being filled, the server will report only half the installed memory. Other options would typically produce errors or not match the exact half-memory symptom.

Answer

One of the memory channels has failed, disabling half the DIMMs

Answer

The DIMMs are not all the same speed, so the server downclocked and disabled half

Answer

The server's memory controller only supports up to 256GB

Question 5

A technician is preparing to add four new hot-swap SAS drives to a running server that uses a hardware RAID controller. Before inserting the drives, which of the following actions should the technician take? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Confirm the drives are on the RAID controller's compatibility list. Before adding hot-swap drives, the technician must confirm the drives are supported by the RAID controller and that the chosen bays are free of existing array membership. Compatibility prevents rejection or dropout, and confirming empty bays prevents an accidental rebuild that would overwrite the newly inserted drive.

Answer

Set each new drive's SAS address to match the controller's expected value

Answer

Install the drives while the server is powered off to avoid damaging the backplane

Answer

Update the RAID controller firmware to the latest release immediately before insertion

Question 6

A technician needs to add four new 2.5-inch SSDs to a rack server that currently has all eight 2.5-inch front drive bays populated with SAS hard drives. The server's backplane supports hot-swap and the RAID controller supports online capacity expansion. Which of the following is the BEST way to add the SSDs?

Accepted Answer

Install an additional hot-swap drive cage or expander backplane connected to the existing RAID controller, then add the SSDs and expand the array.. All front bays are full, so the technician must extend the drive subsystem using a supported additional cage or expander backplane tied to the RAID controller. That preserves hot-swap serviceability and allows online capacity expansion to include the new SSDs. Replacing drives, using onboard SATA, or attaching USB disks does not meet the requirement of adding four SSDs to the existing protected storage.

Answer

Replace four existing SAS hard drives with the SSDs and rebuild the array, accepting the loss of the hard drive capacity.

Answer

Connect the four SSDs to the motherboard's onboard SATA ports and create a separate operating system RAID volume.

Answer

Attach the SSDs as external USB 3.0 drives and present them to the RAID controller as pass-through disks.

Question 7

A technician is troubleshooting a server that intermittently reports correctable memory errors on a specific DIMM slot in the management controller log. The server has not crashed, and the operating system is stable. The technician reseats the DIMM and cleans the slot, but the errors continue. Which of the following should the technician do next?

Accepted Answer

Replace the DIMM in the affected slot with a known-good module of the same specifications.. Persistent correctable memory errors after reseating and cleaning indicate a failing DIMM or slot. Replacing the module with a known-good one of the same specifications isolates the fault. Disabling ECC, merely moving the DIMM, or waiting on a BIOS update does not repair the failing hardware and leaves the server at risk of an uncorrectable error.

Answer

Disable memory error correction in the BIOS to stop the log entries.

Answer

Update the server BIOS to the latest version and monitor for 30 days.

Answer

Move the DIMM to a different slot and leave it there permanently.

Question 8

A technician is preparing to install a replacement hot-swap SAS drive into a production server's front drive bay. The array is currently healthy and the new drive will be used as a global hot spare. Which of the following steps are required to complete the installation safely? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Attach an ESD wrist strap to the chassis and the technician before handling the drive.. Adding a hot spare requires a compatible drive, verified against the array's interface, speed, and capacity, and ESD protection during handling because the electronics are vulnerable even when the server stays online. The hot-swap bay and healthy array mean no power-down or configuration deletion is needed, and the controller handles block-level rebuilds without any file system preparation.

Answer

Format the replacement drive with the operating system's native file system before insertion.

Answer

Power down the entire server and disconnect both power supplies before opening the drive bay.

Answer

Delete the existing logical drive configuration so the controller can detect the new physical disk.

Question 9

A server administrator is installing a new PCIe network adapter into a rack server. The card is a full-height, full-length adapter, but the server chassis only accepts low-profile cards in its riser. Which of the following is the BEST course of action?

Accepted Answer

Use a different riser that supports full-height cards, if the chassis offers one, or return the card for a low-profile equivalent.. Form factor compatibility is a prerequisite for card installation. A full-height, full-length adapter cannot be made to fit a low-profile riser through improvisation; the administrator must either use a chassis riser option that supports the larger form factor or obtain a low-profile equivalent adapter. This keeps mechanical retention, airflow, and support intact.

Answer

Install the card in the server's x16 slot without the riser to gain the needed height clearance.

Answer

Bend the card's mounting bracket so the adapter fits under the chassis lid.

Answer

Attach the card externally with a PCIe extension cable and leave the chassis lid open.

Question 10

A data center technician must install a new 1U server into a rack that already contains several servers drawing significant power. The rack's power distribution unit reports that the current load is near its rated capacity. Which of the following should the technician do first to avoid overloading the circuit?

Accepted Answer

Calculate the new server's power draw and verify the PDU has sufficient headroom before connecting. Before adding any load, the technician must quantify the new server's power requirement and confirm the PDU and its upstream circuit have enough spare capacity. Only after that calculation can the connection be made safely, possibly requiring a second circuit or PDU if headroom is insufficient.

Answer

Move one existing server's power supply to a different PDU without checking its load

Answer

Connect the new server's power supplies to the nearest available outlets on the existing PDU

Answer

Install the server and immediately enable power capping to reduce its draw

Question 11

A technician installs a new 2U server whose chassis is 24 inches deep into a rack with 30-inch posts. After mounting, the technician notices the server's rear fans are recirculating hot exhaust because the rack's rear door is perforated but the server's rear panel sits flush against it. Cable bundles also press against the door. Which of the following is the BEST action to correct the airflow problem?

Accepted Answer

Reinstall the server with a rail kit that positions the chassis so a gap remains between the rear panel and the door, and reroute cables to preserve that gap.. A server needs unobstructed space behind the rear panel so exhaust can leave the chassis and enter the hot aisle. When the chassis sits flush against a perforated door and cables fill the remaining space, exhaust recirculates into the intakes. Using rails that leave a proper gap and rerouting cables restores the front-to-back airflow path while keeping the cabinet closed.

Answer

Increase the speed of the server's rear fans through the management controller to overcome the back pressure.

Answer

Replace the perforated rear door with a solid door to contain the exhaust.

Answer

Reverse the server's airflow direction so the fans draw air from the rear and exhaust to the front.

Question 12

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 13

A technician is preparing to install a new server into a rack in a small server room. Which of the following steps should be performed to help ensure proper airflow and thermal management? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Verify that the server's airflow direction matches the rack's existing front-to-back or back-to-front configuration.. Thermal management in a rack depends on maintaining a consistent airflow direction and preserving the separation between cold intake air and hot exhaust air. Matching the server's airflow to the rack's established direction prevents recirculation, and blanking panels close unused rack units so hot air cannot escape to the front and be drawn back into equipment intakes.

Answer

Leave one rack unit of empty space between the new server and adjacent servers to improve cooling.

Answer

Remove the server's top cover to increase passive airflow around internal components.

Answer

Position the server at the top of the rack so its heat rises away from other equipment.

Question 14

A server administrator is configuring a new server with four 1TB NVMe drives. The server will host a database that requires high random read/write performance and redundancy. Which of the following RAID levels should the administrator choose?

Accepted Answer

RAID 10. RAID 10 is the best choice because it provides both redundancy and high performance for random read/write workloads. It mirrors data across pairs of drives and stripes across the pairs, eliminating parity overhead. RAID 0 lacks redundancy, RAID 5 has write performance penalties, and RAID 6 has even slower writes. The database's need for high random I/O and fault tolerance makes RAID 10 ideal.

Answer

RAID 6

Answer

RAID 5

Answer

RAID 0

Question 15

A data center team is deploying a new 4U storage server that will hold 24 nearline SAS drives. The server will sit in a rack alongside network switches, and the team wants to minimize vibration-related drive errors. Which of the following installation practices BEST addresses this concern?

Accepted Answer

Install the server on sliding rails with rubber isolation washers and ensure the rack is anchored and stabilized.. High-density nearline drives are sensitive to rotational and translational vibration, which adjacent drives, fans, and rack movement generate. Isolating the chassis with rubber-mounted rails and anchoring the rack reduces the energy reaching the drives and prevents the frame from swaying. Airflow and load rating are valid considerations but do not address vibration coupling.

Answer

Use a rack with a higher static load rating so the added drive weight does not flex the frame.

Answer

Mount the server at the top of the rack to keep it away from floor-level vibration.

Answer

Fill all empty rack U space with blanking panels to improve front-to-back airflow.