The answer is high availability, as it is the correct virtualization feature for automatically restarting virtual machines on another physical host after a failure with minimal downtime. Unlike fault tolerance, which maintains a mirrored copy of the VM for zero downtime but demands significantly more resources, high availability provides a practical balance between cost and uptime by detecting a host failure and triggering a restart on a surviving node. On the CompTIA A+ Core 2 220-1202 exam, this concept tests your ability to distinguish between disaster recovery features in a private cloud environment—a common trap is confusing high availability with fault tolerance, which offers continuous operation but is resource-intensive and often unnecessary for most business needs. Remember the memory tip: “HA restarts, FT never parts”—high availability reboots the VM after a crash, while fault tolerance keeps it running without interruption.
220-1202 Virtualization and Cloud Technologies Practice Question
This 220-1202 practice question tests your understanding of virtualization and cloud technologies. 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 company uses a private cloud for its internal applications. The IT team wants to ensure that if one physical host fails, the virtual machines running on it can be automatically restarted on another host with minimal downtime. Which feature should they implement?
Why wrong: Fault tolerance provides continuous uptime by running a duplicate VM, but it requires significant resources and is not just a restart mechanism.
B
High availability
High availability monitors hosts and automatically restarts VMs on another host if a failure occurs, meeting the requirement of minimal downtime.
C
Live migration
Why wrong: Live migration moves a running VM to another host manually, not automatically in response to a failure.
D
Snapshots
Why wrong: Snapshots capture a VM's state for backup, but they do not provide automatic restart after a host failure.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
High availability
This question tests knowledge of high availability in virtualization. Fault tolerance keeps a VM running with zero downtime but requires more resources. Live migration moves VMs manually, and snapshots are for backup. High availability automatically restarts VMs on another host after a failure, providing a balance of cost and uptime.
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.
✗
Fault tolerance
Why it's wrong here
Fault tolerance provides continuous uptime by running a duplicate VM, but it requires significant resources and is not just a restart mechanism.
✓
High availability
Why this is correct
High availability monitors hosts and automatically restarts VMs on another host if a failure occurs, meeting the requirement of minimal downtime.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Live migration
Why it's wrong here
Live migration moves a running VM to another host manually, not automatically in response to a failure.
✗
Snapshots
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots capture a VM's state for backup, but they do not provide automatic restart after a host failure.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 220-1202 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this 220-1202 question in full detail.
Identify which 220-1202 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Virtualization and Cloud Technologies — This question tests Virtualization and Cloud Technologies — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: High availability — This question tests knowledge of high availability in virtualization. Fault tolerance keeps a VM running with zero downtime but requires more resources. Live migration moves VMs manually, and snapshots are for backup. High availability automatically restarts VMs on another host after a failure, providing a balance of cost and uptime.
What should I do if I get this 220-1202 question wrong?
Identify which 220-1202 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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