1Y0-312 Advanced Provisioning and Image Management Practice Question
An administrator is using Machine Creation Services (MCS) to provision a catalog of non-persistent pooled machines from a master image. The security team mandates that no machine should retain any data written to its system disk after a reboot, but user profile data must persist across sessions. Which MCS storage configuration should the administrator implement?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that Personal vDisk is the only way to persist user data in MCS, but Profile Management with a separate store is the modern and supported method for non-persistent machines.
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
✓
Use a non-persistent catalog with a separate profile store and configure Profile Management.
The correct answer is to use a non-persistent catalog with a separate profile store and Profile Management. Non-persistent catalogs reset the system disk on each reboot, ensuring no data persists. Profile data is stored separately and managed by Profile Management, allowing user settings to persist. This is the standard approach for pooled VDI desktops where security and profile persistence are both required.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Configure the catalog to use a write-back cache on the system disk.
Why it's wrong here
A write-back cache on the system disk would actually persist changes to the system disk, violating the security requirement. Write-back caching is typically used in Provisioning Services (PVS) to improve performance by caching writes locally, but those writes are still discarded on reboot. In MCS, there is no such option; MCS uses differencing disks that are discarded on reboot. Therefore, this option is incorrect.
- ✗
Provision the machines with a Personal vDisk (PvD) and enable profile management.
Why it's wrong here
Personal vDisk isolates user-installed applications and profile data on a separate volume, but the system disk is still reset on reboot. However, PvD is not the recommended approach for persistent user profiles in modern Citrix environments; it adds complexity and does not natively integrate with Profile Management. The requirement specifically calls for profile persistence while discarding system changes, which is better achieved by using a separate profile store, not PvD.
- ✓
Use a non-persistent catalog with a separate profile store and configure Profile Management.
Why this is correct
A non-persistent catalog ensures the system disk is reset to the master image on each reboot, discarding all changes. By storing user profiles on a separate file share and using Citrix Profile Management, user data persists across sessions. This combination meets both requirements: no system disk persistence and profile persistence. It is the standard best practice for pooled non-persistent machines.
- ✗
Deploy the machines as a persistent catalog and use a mandatory profile.
Why it's wrong here
A persistent catalog retains all changes to the system disk, including any user-installed applications or system modifications, which violates the security requirement. While a mandatory profile would prevent profile changes from persisting, the system disk would still accumulate changes. This approach does not meet the requirement of discarding all system disk writes on reboot.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Citrix exam blueprint
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