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350-401 Practice Question: Which two statements about virtual machine…
Which two statements about virtual machine migration (vMotion/VMware) or live migration (Hyper-V) are true? (Choose two.)
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Live migration copies the memory state of the VM from the source host to the destination host while the VM continues to run.
Option B is correct because live migration (Hyper-V) and vMotion (VMware) are designed to transfer the running VM's memory state, including the active memory pages and CPU register state, from the source host to the destination host while the VM remains powered on and continues servicing requests, with only a brief pause during the final switchover. Option D is correct because the destination host's processor must expose a compatible CPU feature set (e.g., matching instruction set extensions such as SSE4.2, AVX, or NX/DEP) so that the migrated VM does not execute instructions unsupported by the new physical CPU; VMware uses Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) baselines and Hyper-V uses processor compatibility mode to mask differences. Option A is wrong because live migration explicitly avoids powering off the VM; that describes a cold migration instead. Option C is wrong because shared storage is not strictly required — vMotion can use shared storage, but Hyper-V live migration and VMware vMotion also support migrating the VM's virtual disks (storage migration) or using SMB 3.0/CSV paths without identical shared storage. Option E is wrong because live migration preserves the VM's network identity, including its IP address, since the virtual NIC and its configuration move with the VM; the IP does not change unless the guest OS or network configuration is altered.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
During live migration, the virtual machine must be powered off to transfer memory contents.
Why it's wrong here
Live migration keeps the virtual machine running throughout; memory is pre-copied and only briefly quiesced at cutover, so powering off is unnecessary. It is tempting because a cold migration does require the VM to be powered off, and that would be the correct approach when moving a VM between incompatible hosts or CPUs.
- ✓
Live migration copies the memory state of the VM from the source host to the destination host while the VM continues to run.
Why this is correct
Live migration achieves near-zero downtime by iteratively copying memory pages to the destination while the VM keeps running, then briefly pausing to transfer the final dirty pages and CPU state. This satisfies the stem's requirement that the VM continues to run throughout the migration.
- ✗
Live migration requires that both source and destination hosts use the same shared storage for the VM's virtual disks.
Why it's wrong here
Live migration supports both shared storage and storage migration, so identical shared storage is not required; disks can move independently of the compute host. It is tempting because shared storage is common in clustered designs, and would be the correct constraint when using shared-storage-only vMotion without Storage vMotion.
- ✓
Both source and destination hosts must have compatible CPU feature sets to ensure the VM does not encounter instruction errors after migration.
Why this is correct
CPU feature compatibility is required because the destination host's processor must expose the same instruction set extensions the guest expects. Without matching CPU masks or baseline feature sets, the VM could execute unsupported instructions after migration, causing crashes or instruction errors.
- ✗
After a live migration, the virtual machine's IP address changes to match the new network segment.
Why it's wrong here
Live migration preserves the virtual machine's identity, including its IP address, because the network configuration moves with it; the address only changes if the guest is reconfigured. It is tempting because moving between subnets can require re-addressing, which would apply to a cold migration to a different network segment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.