SK0-005 troubleshooting Practice Test 5 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A server's performance degrades significantly during peak usage hours. Monitoring shows high memory utilization and consistently high disk I/O. Which of the following should the technician check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Page file location and configuration. High memory utilization combined with consistently high disk I/O strongly suggests the system is paging — moving memory contents to and from disk because physical RAM is exhausted. The page file's location and configuration directly affect paging performance, so checking it first is the most targeted diagnostic step. If the page file is on a slow disk, is too small, or is fragmented across volumes, it can cause severe I/O bottlenecks during peak usage.

Answer

RAID controller battery status

Answer

Network bandwidth utilization

Answer

CPU utilization statistics

Question 2

A server running a critical database application crashes and fails to boot with the error message 'Operating System not found.' The server is equipped with a hardware RAID 5 array consisting of three identical disks. A technician suspects a disk failure. What is the MOST likely cause of this error?

Accepted Answer

Two or more disks have failed.. RAID 5 can tolerate a single disk failure and continue operating in a degraded state. The 'Operating System not found' message indicates the RAID array is offline or the boot volume is inaccessible, which most commonly happens when two or more disks fail simultaneously, exceeding the redundancy of RAID 5. Option A would not cause this error; a single failure would allow the OS to boot. Option C is less common and might produce different errors. Option B could happen but is normally a second-order effect.

Answer

A single disk has experienced a complete failure.

Answer

The boot sector on the disk is corrupted.

Answer

The RAID controller firmware is corrupted.

Question 3

A database administrator notices that the primary SQL Server instance has been experiencing severe performance degradation over the past hour. The server is a virtual machine with 8 vCPUs and 64 GB of RAM, and it normally operates with around 40% CPU utilization. Currently, Task Manager shows 100% CPU usage, with the sqlservr.exe process consuming nearly all cycles. The database response times have increased tenfold, and some queries are timing out. There are no scheduled maintenance jobs running, and the transaction log backup completed successfully earlier. The DBA checks active sessions and finds one long-running ad-hoc query from a new reporting tool that was deployed this morning. The query is performing a cross join on two large tables with missing WHERE clauses, causing a Cartesian product. Ending the session will roll back the query and free resources.

Accepted Answer

Identify and kill the offending long-running query using the SQL Server management tools.. Option A is the correct immediate action. Identifying and terminating the specific offending query is the fastest way to restore normal operation without disrupting other database activities. Option B (adding vCPUs) is not a quick fix and doesn't address the root cause. Option C (restarting the SQL service) will disconnect all users and cause unnecessary downtime. Option D (increasing the VM's memory) won't help a CPU-bound problem caused by an inefficient query.

Answer

Increase the virtual machine's memory allocation from 64 GB to 128 GB to reduce paging.

Answer

Immediately add more vCPUs to the virtual machine to handle the increased load.

Answer

Restart the SQL Server service to clear all active connections and start fresh.

Question 4

Users report slow file server performance. The administrator suspects a single process is consuming excessive CPU and wants to analyse its threads and handles. Which tool should be used?

Accepted Answer

Resource Monitor. Resource Monitor (resmon.exe) in Windows provides detailed per-process analysis including CPU usage, thread-level details, and handle counts, making it the right tool to inspect a specific process's threads and handles. It offers a granular view that Task Manager lacks, such as the ability to see which threads are consuming CPU and what handles a process has open. This directly addresses the administrator's need.

Answer

System Information

Answer

Task Manager

Answer

Performance Monitor

Question 5

A server cannot connect to a specific network share. The administrator can successfully ping the server's IP address from the client. Which of the following is MOST likely causing the issue?

Accepted Answer

Host-based firewall blocking file sharing ports. Option C is correct because Windows Firewall or an equivalent host-based firewall may block SMB (port 445) or NetBIOS ports, preventing share access even though ICMP is allowed. Option A is wrong because DNS would affect name resolution, not reachability by IP. Option B is wrong because an incorrect subnet mask would generally prevent any communication, including pings. Option D is wrong because a duplicate IP would cause intermittent connectivity or an IP conflict error, not a consistent inability to access shares while ping works.

Answer

Incorrect subnet mask

Answer

Duplicate IP address on the network

Answer

DNS server is misconfigured

Question 6

A server running a critical application fails to boot with the error: 'Boot device not found.' The server uses UEFI and a RAID 5 array for the OS. The administrator verifies that all disks are present and powered. Which of the following should the administrator check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

The array configuration in the RAID BIOS. With all disks powered and present, the RAID array may be degraded or its configuration lost, leading to the boot device error. Checking the array configuration in the RAID controller's BIOS (or UEFI setup) allows verifying that the array is intact and the boot volume is accessible. Option A (RAID battery) is important for write cache but not directly causing 'boot device not found.' Option B (boot order) might be an issue, but after checking that the RAID array is operational; if the array is offline, boot order changes won't help. Option D (OS boot files) should be checked after ensuring the RAID subsystem is functional.

Answer

The integrity of the OS boot files

Answer

The boot order in UEFI

Answer

The RAID controller battery

Question 7

A server that uses iSCSI storage has suddenly lost connectivity to all LUNs. The network team confirms no changes have been made. Which of the following is the FIRST step in troubleshooting this issue?

Accepted Answer

Verify the status of the iSCSI initiator service on the server.. The first step in troubleshooting iSCSI connectivity loss is to verify the status of the iSCSI initiator service on the server, because if the service is stopped or failed, the server cannot connect to any LUNs. This is a local, non-disruptive check that should precede network or hardware changes. It aligns with the troubleshooting principle of checking the most likely and least invasive cause first.

Answer

Check the VLAN configuration on the switch.

Answer

Replace the network cables to the storage array.

Answer

Reconfigure the IP address of the server.

Question 8

A server in the datacenter fails to power on after a scheduled power maintenance. The facility team confirms that power is being supplied to the rack. The server's front panel LED is not illuminated. Which of the following should the administrator check FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Verify that the power cable is securely connected to the server and the PDU.. The first step is to verify that the power cable is securely connected to both the server and the PDU. Since the facility team confirms power is supplied to the rack, the issue likely lies in the connection to the server. A loose cable would prevent power from reaching the server, resulting in no front panel LED. This is a simple, non-invasive check that should be performed before replacing hardware or reseating components.

Answer

Reseat the CPU and memory modules.

Answer

Replace the power supply unit.

Answer

Update the server's BIOS firmware.

Question 9

A server configured with RAID 5 has two failed drives. The array is offline and critical data is inaccessible. The administrator has replacement drives available. What should the administrator do to restore the data and array with minimal data loss?

Accepted Answer

Replace both failed drives and restore from backup.. RAID 5 can survive a single drive failure, but with two failed drives, the array is completely broken and cannot be rebuilt. Restoring from backup is the only reliable method to recover the data. Options B and C incorrectly assume the array can still rebuild, and option D would worsen data integrity.

Answer

Reconfigure the RAID to RAID 0 using the remaining good drives.

Answer

Replace both failed drives and initiate a full array rebuild.

Answer

Replace one failed drive, allow rebuild, then replace the second.

Question 10

A web application server is experiencing intermittent 502 Bad Gateway errors during peak usage hours. The server's reverse proxy logs show connections to the backend application server being refused. The application server's resource monitor shows CPU utilization at 95% and memory utilization at 40%. Which of the following actions is MOST likely to resolve the issue?

Accepted Answer

Adjust thread pool and connection timeout settings on the application server.. The 502 errors with connection refusals and 95% CPU (but only 40% memory) point to application-layer thread/connection exhaustion rather than raw hardware shortage. Tuning the thread pool and connection timeout settings allows the application server to handle more concurrent connections and recycle stuck ones, directly addressing the bottleneck.

Answer

Replace the reverse proxy with a hardware load balancer.

Answer

Add more CPU cores to the server.

Answer

Increase the server's physical memory.

Question 11

After a thunderstorm, a server in a remote office is reachable via remote console but has no network connectivity. The network switch port shows a steady link light, but the server's NIC shows no link light. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?

Accepted Answer

The NIC hardware has failed.. A lack of link light on the server's NIC while the switch has a link indicates a physical failure between the NIC and the cable, such as a damaged NIC. Option A would result in no link on the switch as well. Option B would still allow the NIC to establish link. Option D would not affect link lights.

Answer

TCP/IP stack corruption.

Answer

Switch port is administratively disabled.

Answer

Incorrect VLAN assignment on the switch port.

Question 12

A server fails to complete POST and emits a series of beeps: two long, three short. According to the manufacturer's documentation, this beep code indicates a memory error. The server has eight DIMMs installed. Which of the following steps should the technician perform FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Reseat all memory modules and attempt to boot.. When a POST beep code indicates a memory error, the least invasive and most logical first step is to reseat all memory modules and retry the boot. Memory modules can become unseated due to thermal cycling, vibration, or incomplete installation, and reseating is a non-destructive action that may resolve the error without replacing hardware. Only if reseating fails should the technician proceed to more involved diagnostics such as testing individual DIMMs or replacing modules.

Answer

Replace all memory modules.

Answer

Clear the CMOS battery.

Answer

Update the server's UEFI firmware.

Question 13

A server experienced an unexpected power loss. After power is restored, the server boots successfully, but several critical services fail to start automatically. The administrator checks the system logs and finds errors indicating missing LUNs from a SAN. The SAN administrator confirms the SAN is online and the LUNs are assigned to the server's WWNs. The server uses FC HBAs. Which TWO steps should the administrator perform to diagnose the issue?

Accepted Answer

Rescan the SCSI bus on the server.. Option A is correct because after an unexpected power loss the host may have stale or missing SCSI device entries; rescanning the SCSI bus (e.g., echo "- - -" > /sys/class/scsi_host/hostX/scan or rescan-scsi-bus.sh) forces the HBA driver to re-discover LUNs presented by the SAN, which directly addresses the missing-LUN errors. Option B is correct because even when the SAN administrator confirms LUNs are assigned to the server's WWNs, incorrect or missing FC switch zoning (or an inactive zone set) prevents the host from seeing those LUNs, so verifying the zone membership and that the zone set is enabled is a key diagnostic step. Option C is not appropriate because replacing HBAs is a hardware remedy with no evidence of HBA failure, and the SAN already recognizes the server's WWNs. Option D is not appropriate because the SAN is confirmed online and rebooting a SAN controller is disruptive and unjustified. Option E is not appropriate because reinstalling the multipathing driver is a software repair step that should only follow confirmation that the driver is actually faulty, not a first-line diagnostic for missing LUNs.

Answer

Replace the FC HBAs.

Answer

Reboot the SAN controller.

Answer

Reinstall the multipathing driver.

Question 14

Refer to the exhibit. A Linux server started reporting I/O errors to its local disk. The administrator runs `dmesg` and sees the output shown. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of the errors?

Accepted Answer

The disk has a bad sector that cannot be remapped.. I/O errors reported by dmesg that reference specific sectors on a local disk typically indicate a bad sector that the drive's firmware cannot remap to a spare sector. When the disk's spare sector pool is exhausted or the error is unrecoverable, the kernel logs I/O errors against the affected block device. This is the most likely cause when the errors are isolated to a single disk and no other systemic issues are present.

Answer

The filesystem on /dev/sda is corrupted.

Answer

The SCSI cable is loose.

Answer

The RAID controller firmware is outdated.

Question 15

Refer to the exhibit. A Windows file server at a branch office lost network connectivity after a scheduled reboot. The administrator logs in via the console and runs `ipconfig /all`, which shows the output in the exhibit. The server should have a static IP of 10.0.0.50. What should the administrator do to restore connectivity?

Accepted Answer

Set a static IP configuration as intended.. The exhibit shows that the server's network adapter is configured to obtain an IP address automatically (DHCP), as indicated by 'DHCP Enabled: Yes' and an APIPA address of 169.254.x.x. Since the server should have a static IP of 10.0.0.50, the administrator must manually configure the static IP address, subnet mask, default gateway, and DNS servers. This will restore connectivity because the server will no longer rely on an unreachable DHCP server and will have the correct network configuration.

Answer

Disable IPv6 on the network adapter.

Answer

The DHCP server is unreachable; check DHCP server availability.

Answer

Release and renew the DHCP lease.