220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician implemented a change to update a configuration file on a web server during a scheduled maintenance window. After the change, the web server experiences a 500% increase in error rates. The technician has a verified backup of the original configuration file. According to change management best practices, what should the technician do FIRST?
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
✓
Restore the original configuration file and verify service.
When a change causes unexpected adverse effects, the immediate priority is to restore normal service by rolling back the change. A rollback plan is a standard part of any change implementation. Once the original configuration is restored and verified, the technician should document the incident and submit a post-implementation review. Reboot or vendor support may be unnecessary if the issue is clearly configuration-related. Submitting a new change request before restoring service prolongs the outage and is not the first action.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Submit a new change request to document the issue.
Why it's wrong here
While documenting the failed change is part of a proper change management process, it is not the immediate action. Submitting a new change request introduces administrative delay and does not directly address the ongoing error spike. The priority is to restore service first, then document the incident and lessons learned. A change request is for planned alterations, not emergency rollback.
- ✓
Restore the original configuration file and verify service.
Why this is correct
The error spike is directly attributable to the configuration change, so reverting to the prior known-good configuration file is the fastest way to eliminate the newly introduced variable. After restoration, verify the service's error rate returns to baseline and that users experience normal functionality. This follows the change management principle: when a change fails, execute the backout plan immediately to minimize impact.
- ✗
Reboot the web server to clear the errors.
Why it's wrong here
Rebooting the web server will simply reload the same flawed configuration, so the error spike will likely recur as soon as the service comes back online. While a reboot can clear transient memory or handle races, it does nothing to correct an invalid configuration file and causes additional downtime. The targeted fix is to replace the file with the original known-good version, not to restart the process.
- ✗
Contact the vendor for support.
Why it's wrong here
Vendor support may be helpful if the configuration change uncovers a software defect, but it is not the correct first response. The technician already possesses the original configuration file and can restore service in minutes, without waiting for the vendor's queue and response time. Contacting the vendor first delays service restoration and fails to use the most direct remediation available for a self-inflicted configuration error.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
File Systems: NTFS, FAT32, exFAT
Key term
Change management
Change management is the structured process of planning, approving, implementing, and reviewing changes to IT systems to minimize risk and disruption.
Key term
POST
Power-On Self-Test (POST) is a diagnostic process that a computer runs when it first powers on to check that essential hardware components are working correctly before loading the operating system.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on 220-1102
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A technician is implementing a change to update the firmware on all network switches in a data center. The change has been approved by the Change Advisory Board (CAB). During the implementation on the first switch, the firmware update fails, and the switch becomes unresponsive. According to change management best practices, what should the technician do FIRST?
medium- A.Proceed with updating the remaining switches
- B.Contact the CAB for an emergency change
- ✓ C.Immediately implement the backout plan
- D.Reboot the switch and try the update again
Why C: Change management best practices require that when a change fails and causes an outage, the immediate priority is to restore service by executing the pre-approved backout plan. The backout plan is a mandatory component of any change request, designed to revert the system to its previous stable state. In this scenario, the switch is unresponsive, so the technician must follow the documented rollback procedure to minimize downtime before any further actions.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1102 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 220-1102 exam.