CCNP Virtual Machines and Hypervisors Practice Question
This 350-401 practice question tests your understanding of virtual machines and hypervisors. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A network engineer is designing a disaster recovery solution using VMware vSphere. The engineer needs to replicate virtual machines from the primary site to a secondary site with minimal downtime. The application VMs are running on NFS datastores. The engineer plans to use vSphere Replication. What prerequisite must be met for vSphere Replication to work with NFS datastores?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The NFS datastores must be mounted on both the source and target ESXi hosts.
vSphere Replication operates at the hypervisor level, replicating VM data from the source ESXi host to the target ESXi host. For NFS datastores, the source and target hosts must each have the NFS datastore mounted because vSphere Replication reads the VM files from the source NFS mount and writes them to the target NFS mount. Without both mounts, the replication engine cannot access the source data or place the replica on the target storage.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
The NFS datastores must be mounted on both the source and target ESXi hosts.
Why this is correct
Correct because vSphere Replication needs access to the source datastore to read data and the target datastore to write replicas.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The NFS datastores must be backed by a storage array that supports snapshot offloading.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because vSphere Replication uses its own snapshot mechanism, not array-based snapshots.
✗
The VMs must be configured with thick provisioning eager zeroed disks.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because vSphere Replication supports thin and thick disks.
✗
The NFS datastores must be part of a vSAN cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect because vSphere Replication works with NFS, not requiring vSAN.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Cisco often tests the misconception that NFS datastores require array-level features (like snapshot offloading) or special disk provisioning for replication, when in fact vSphere Replication only needs both source and target hosts to have the NFS datastore mounted to read and write VM data.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
vSphere Replication uses a kernel-level module on each ESXi host to track changed blocks on VM disks and send them to the target site over an IP network. For NFS datastores, the replication appliance must have direct mount access to both the source and target NFS volumes because NFS is a shared file system that does not expose block-level replication primitives; the host must read the VMDK files via the NFS client and write them to the target NFS mount. In a real-world scenario, if the target ESXi host cannot mount the same NFS export (e.g., due to different IP subnets or firewall rules), replication will fail with a 'datastore not accessible' error.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the 350-401 exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Virtual Machines and Hypervisors — This question tests Virtual Machines and Hypervisors — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The NFS datastores must be mounted on both the source and target ESXi hosts. — vSphere Replication operates at the hypervisor level, replicating VM data from the source ESXi host to the target ESXi host. For NFS datastores, the source and target hosts must each have the NFS datastore mounted because vSphere Replication reads the VM files from the source NFS mount and writes them to the target NFS mount. Without both mounts, the replication engine cannot access the source data or place the replica on the target storage.
What should I do if I get this 350-401 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This 350-401 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Cisco certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 350-401 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.