350-401 Practice Question: Deploying Cisco CSR1000v virtual routers in a KVM…

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✓

  Live migration with shared storage (e.g., NFS or iSCSI).

  Why this is correct

  This is correct because the VM's virtual disk resides on a storage device accessible by both source and destination hosts. During migration, only the memory state and CPU execution context are copied over the network, while the disk stays on the shared storage, so there is no need to transfer large disk files. This results in near-zero downtime and preserves the running state for seamless migration between ESXi hosts. The shared storage and compatible vMotion network are essential for this to work.

• ✗

  Cold migration with local storage only.

  Why it's wrong here

  Cold migration requires the VM to be powered off before the virtual disk files are copied from local source storage to local destination storage. Because the VM is shut down, there is an explicit service outage, and no memory state is preserved. While this does not need shared storage at all—the disk can be copied directly between hosts—it does not meet the requirement for a live migration with minimal interruption.

• ✗

  Storage vMotion without shared storage.

  Why it's wrong here

  Storage vMotion is a live migration of the VM's virtual disk between datastores while the VM continues to run, but it does not change the host on which the VM executes. Without shared storage, the destination datastore must be on the same host or accessible to the source host; however, the VM's memory state remains on the original host, so it is not a full VM migration. Moreover, Storage vMotion typically requires concurrent access to both the source and destination storage from the host managing the move, and it does not enable moving the running VM to another host.

• ✗

  Using a distributed virtual switch without shared storage.

  Why it's wrong here

  A distributed virtual switch (DVS) provides consistent network configurations and enables live network changes across hosts, but it is only a networking construct. The fundamental barrier to live migration is storage: if the VM's disk is on local-only storage, the destination host cannot access the disk, and the DVS does nothing to make that storage visible. Even with a DVS, you would still need to copy the VM's virtual disk files over the network or use shared storage, so the answer is incorrect.

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