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220-1201 Practice Question: A company uses VMware vSphere to run multiple VMs…
A company uses VMware vSphere to run multiple VMs on a single ESXi host. A user reports that their VM suddenly lost network connectivity, but other VMs on the same host are working fine. The technician checks the virtual switch configuration and finds that the VM’s virtual NIC is connected to a port group that has no active uplinks. What should the technician do to restore connectivity?
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
✓
Add a physical NIC to the port group as an active uplink.
In virtualization, a port group defines network settings for VMs. If a port group has no active uplinks, VMs in that group cannot communicate outside the host. The correct answer involves either adding an uplink or moving the VM to a working port group. This tests understanding of virtual networking components.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reboot the ESXi host to refresh the network stack.
Why it's wrong here
A full ESXi host reboot is an extreme measure that would cause significant downtime for all running virtual machines. While it might reinitialize some network services, it will not automatically configure a missing physical uplink for a specific port group. The problem is a configuration gap within the virtual switch's port group, not a general network stack malfunction requiring a host-wide restart.
- ✗
Change the VM’s virtual NIC type from E1000 to VMXNET3.
Why it's wrong here
Changing a virtual machine's network adapter type from E1000 to VMXNET3 primarily impacts network performance and guest OS compatibility, as VMXNET3 is a paravirtualized driver optimized for VMware environments. However, this action does not address the fundamental issue of a port group lacking a physical uplink to the external network. The VM would still be logically connected to an isolated virtual switch segment, unable to communicate outside the host.
- ✓
Add a physical NIC to the port group as an active uplink.
Why this is correct
To enable a virtual machine to communicate with the physical network, its associated port group on the virtual switch must have at least one active physical network adapter (pNIC) assigned as an uplink. This uplink provides the necessary bridge between the virtual network segment and the external physical network infrastructure. By adding a pNIC, the VM's traffic can traverse the virtual switch, exit through the physical adapter, and reach other devices on the LAN or WAN.
- ✗
Disable and re-enable the virtual switch.
Why it's wrong here
Disabling and re-enabling an entire virtual switch would temporarily disconnect all virtual machines attached to it, causing widespread network disruption. This action is akin to power cycling a physical switch; it might clear transient issues but will not automatically configure a missing physical uplink for a specific port group. The underlying configuration problem, which is the absence of a physical network interface card (pNIC) assigned as an uplink to the port group, would persist.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 220-1201 exam.