SK0-005 server-hardware-installation-management Practice Test 9 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A server administrator is installing a PCIe expansion card into a 2U server and notices the card requires supplemental power but the server's power supply lacks a spare PCIe power connector. The server's documentation lists a maximum slot power budget of 75W for the x16 slot. Which of the following is the MOST appropriate action?

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

Accepted Answer

Verify the card's power requirement and confirm the PSU or riser can supply it before proceeding. Expansion cards with supplemental power connectors need more than the slot can deliver, so the technician must reconcile the card's actual power requirement with what the PSU and riser can provide. Confirming this before installation avoids underpowered operation, link instability, or damage. Relying on slot power, using unsafe adapters, or narrowing the lane width do not resolve the electrical shortfall.

Answer

Use a dual SATA-to-PCIe power adapter to feed the supplemental connector

Answer

Move the card to a x8 slot to reduce its power consumption

Answer

Install the card and rely on the slot to supply all required power

Question 2

A server administrator is tasked with installing a new PCIe expansion card into a rack-mounted server. The server will be used in a data center with limited airflow. Which of the following should the administrator consider to ensure proper installation and cooling? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Ensure the expansion card is compatible with the server's PCIe slot type and generation.. Proper installation of a PCIe card requires verifying compatibility with the slot and ensuring the server's air baffle is correctly installed to direct airflow. These two steps address both functional and thermal requirements. Other options like adjusting card fan speed, choosing a slot based on power supply proximity, or removing the top cover are not valid or safe practices for ensuring proper cooling.

Answer

Set the expansion card's fan speed to maximum using the server's management software.

Answer

Install the card in the slot closest to the power supply to reduce cable length.

Answer

Remove the server's top cover to improve airflow around the expansion card.

Question 3

A technician is preparing to install a new 2U rack server into a cabinet that already hosts several running servers. The technician must ensure proper airflow and physical security. Which of the following actions should the technician take? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Secure the server to the rails and cabinet using the front thumbscrews or captive fasteners. Rack servers must face the cold aisle so intake air stays cool, and they must be fastened to the rails to prevent movement that could disturb adjacent cabling. These two actions address airflow integrity and physical security respectively. Reversing orientation breaks thermal containment, while removing the bezel or mischaracterizing blanking panels does not satisfy the stated requirements.

Answer

Install the server so its rear exhaust faces the cold aisle to shorten the cable runs

Answer

Fill every empty rack unit with a blanking panel to increase overall airflow volume

Answer

Leave the front bezel off to maximize unrestricted intake airflow

Question 4

A technician is tasked with installing a new internal SSD into a server. The server will be used for a database that requires high write endurance. Which of the following SSD types should the technician choose?

Accepted Answer

SLC (Single-Level Cell) SSD. SLC SSDs have the highest write endurance because each cell stores only one bit, reducing the complexity of write operations and allowing more program/erase cycles. For a database with heavy write requirements, SLC provides the durability needed. Other types like MLC, TLC, and QLC offer higher density but lower endurance, making them less suitable for this scenario.

Answer

TLC (Triple-Level Cell) SSD

Answer

MLC (Multi-Level Cell) SSD

Answer

QLC (Quad-Level Cell) SSD

Question 5

A technician is preparing to install a new server that will use a hardware RAID controller. The server will host a database requiring high write performance and redundancy. Which of the following RAID levels should the technician configure to meet these requirements?

Accepted Answer

RAID 10. RAID 10 provides the best combination of high write performance and redundancy for a database. It stripes data across mirrored pairs, eliminating parity calculations that slow writes in RAID 5. While RAID 1 offers redundancy, its write performance is lower. RAID 0 lacks redundancy, and RAID 5 has write penalties. Thus, RAID 10 is the appropriate choice.

Answer

RAID 1

Answer

RAID 0

Answer

RAID 5

Question 6

A technician is tasked with installing a new PCIe expansion card into a rack-mounted server. The server will be powered off but remains in the rack. Which of the following should the technician do FIRST to prevent electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage?

Accepted Answer

Wear an antistatic wrist strap connected to the server chassis.. The first step to prevent ESD is to wear an antistatic wrist strap connected to the server chassis. This ensures the technician and the server are at the same electrical potential, preventing static discharge that could damage sensitive components. Other methods like touching the rack are temporary and less effective. Always follow proper ESD procedures before handling internal hardware.

Answer

Touch the metal frame of the rack to discharge static electricity.

Answer

Place the expansion card on a non-conductive surface.

Answer

Power on the server to warm up the components and reduce static.

Question 7

A technician is preparing to rack a new server and needs to confirm the cabinet can support its weight and power draw. The server's documentation lists a maximum of 750W and a fully loaded weight of 30 kg. Which of the following should the technician verify FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The cabinet's static and dynamic load ratings and the available PDU circuit capacity. Before racking a server, the technician must confirm the cabinet can support its weight, including during rail extension, and that the PDU and branch circuit can deliver the documented maximum draw. These structural and electrical checks are prerequisites. Bezel color, OS licensing, and noise or humidity ratings are secondary considerations that do not prevent physical or electrical failure.

Answer

The server's acoustic noise rating and the data center's ambient humidity

Answer

The operating system version the server will host and its licensing tier

Answer

The color of the server's front bezel and the rack's U numbering scheme

Question 8

A technician is installing a new 2U rack server in a data center. The server documentation specifies that the rail kit must be mounted in a rack with square-hole mounting holes, but the existing rack cabinet uses round threaded holes. The technician needs the server to slide in and out of the rack for maintenance while remaining securely supported. Which of the following should the technician do?

Accepted Answer

Obtain a rail kit or adapter designed for round threaded-hole racks and install the server with it. Round threaded-hole racks and square-hole racks use different mounting hardware and hole geometry, so a rail kit built for square holes will not seat correctly in a threaded-hole rack. The proper resolution is to use a rail kit or adapter bracket specifically designed for round threaded-hole racks, which maintains the sliding function and rated load capacity the technician needs for routine maintenance access.

Answer

Drill new square holes in the rack posts so the supplied rails fit

Answer

Install the rails using the included cage nuts and screws in the round holes

Answer

Place the server on fixed shelf rails and skip the sliding rail installation

Question 9

A server administrator is configuring a new server with four 10GbE network interfaces. The server will host a high-traffic web application that requires maximum throughput and redundancy. Which of the following configurations should the administrator implement?

Accepted Answer

Configure all four interfaces in an active-active NIC team using LACP (802.3ad).. LACP (802.3ad) allows multiple network interfaces to be aggregated into a single logical link, providing both increased throughput and redundancy. Active-active mode ensures all interfaces are utilized, maximizing bandwidth. This is ideal for a high-traffic web application. Other options either do not increase throughput or lack the same level of redundancy and performance.

Answer

Enable load balancing using ALB (Adaptive Load Balancing) without switch configuration.

Answer

Set up NIC teaming in active-passive mode using two interfaces, leaving the other two as standby.

Answer

Assign each interface to a separate VLAN to distribute traffic across multiple subnets.

Question 10

A server administrator is installing a new SAS SSD into a server that supports hot-swap drives. The server has a hardware RAID controller and the drive bay is accessible from the front. The administrator wants to add the drive to an existing RAID 5 array without bringing the server down. Which of the following should the administrator do?

Accepted Answer

Insert the drive and use the RAID controller's online capacity expansion feature to add it to the array.. To add a drive to an existing RAID 5 array without downtime, the administrator should use the RAID controller's online capacity expansion feature. This allows the array to be reconfigured to include the new drive while the system remains online. The process typically involves inserting the hot-swap drive, then using the controller's management software to expand the array. Performance may degrade during the rebuild, but it avoids service interruption.

Answer

Insert the drive and use the operating system's disk management to extend the volume onto the new disk.

Answer

Insert the drive and configure it as a global hot spare for the existing array.

Answer

Insert the drive and create a new RAID 0 array with it, then span the volumes.

Question 11

A server administrator is troubleshooting a newly installed 4U storage server whose fans run at maximum speed continuously even though inlet temperatures read normal. The chassis uses a passive backplane with eight high-capacity 3.5-inch drives, and the administrator recently replaced three drives with higher-RPM models. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The higher-RPM drives generate more heat, and the BMC is ramping fans to protect them based on drive temperature sensors. Higher-RPM drives run hotter, and the baseboard management controller raises fan speed based on the hottest monitored sensor, including per-drive temperatures reported through the backplane. Normal inlet readings do not rule this out. Firmware profile drift, a failing backplane, or humidity effects do not fit the timing or mechanism as well as the direct thermal consequence of the drive upgrade.

Answer

The server's ambient humidity is too low, causing static buildup that interferes with fan control signals

Answer

The fan profile was reset to a performance curve during a recent firmware update and must be returned to optimal

Answer

The passive backplane is failing and reporting false temperature readings to the BMC

Question 12

A server administrator is installing a new 1U server into a rack. The server's rail kit includes both inner and outer rails. The administrator notices that the inner rails need to be attached to the server chassis before mounting. Which of the following is the correct procedure to install the server into the rack?

Accepted Answer

Attach the inner rails to the server chassis, then slide the server into the outer rails already mounted in the rack.. The correct procedure is to attach the inner rails to the server chassis and the outer rails to the rack, then slide the server into the rack. This is the standard method for rail kits with separate inner and outer components. Other options reverse the components or omit rails entirely, which would result in improper or unsafe installation.

Answer

Attach both inner and outer rails to the server chassis, then lift the entire assembly into the rack.

Answer

Attach the outer rails to the server chassis, then slide the server into the inner rails mounted in the rack.

Answer

Mount the server directly onto the rack posts without using the rail kit.

Question 13

A server administrator is configuring RAID for a new file server that will store large media files. The server has six 4TB SAS drives and a hardware RAID controller with 1GB cache and battery backup. The administrator needs a RAID level that provides fault tolerance for up to two drive failures and maximizes usable capacity. Which of the following should the administrator choose?

Accepted Answer

RAID 6. RAID 6 is the correct choice because it provides double parity, allowing the array to continue operating after two drive failures. It also offers better usable capacity than RAID 10 with the same number of drives. RAID 5 only tolerates one failure, and RAID 0 offers no redundancy, so neither meets the requirement.

Answer

RAID 5

Answer

RAID 10

Answer

RAID 0

Question 14

A server administrator is replacing a failed hot-swap SAS drive in a RAID 5 array. The drive bay is labeled with the failed drive's slot number, and the array is currently degraded. The administrator pulls the drive but realizes the replacement drive is a 4TB SAS drive while the failed unit was 2TB, and the remaining drives in the array are 2TB. The controller supports online capacity expansion but the array is not configured for it. Which of the following should the administrator do?

Accepted Answer

Insert a 2TB SAS drive matching the existing members and allow the array to rebuild. In a RAID 5 array every member drive contributes the same amount of usable capacity, and the array size is bounded by the smallest drive. A matching 2TB SAS replacement rebuilds the missing data from parity and restores redundancy without unused space or unsupported expansion steps. Larger drives can be used, but only if capacity expansion is configured and performed after the rebuild completes.

Answer

Insert the 4TB drive and then run an offline capacity expansion to grow the array

Answer

Insert the 4TB drive and let the controller rebuild the array at 4TB capacity

Answer

Replace all remaining 2TB drives with 4TB drives simultaneously to match the new drive

Question 15

A technician is preparing to install a new server into a rack. The server will host a critical application and requires high availability. The technician needs to ensure that the server's power configuration supports redundancy. Which of the following should the technician do? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Connect each power supply to a different UPS.. To ensure power redundancy for a high-availability server, each power supply should be connected to a different PDU and a different UPS. This eliminates single points of failure in the power distribution path. Connecting both PSUs to the same PDU or UPS, even on different circuits or outlets, still leaves a single point of failure that could bring down the server.

Answer

Connect one power supply to a UPS and the other directly to a wall outlet.

Answer

Connect both power supplies to the same UPS but different outlets.

Answer

Connect both power supplies to the same PDU but different circuits.