220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician needs to apply a critical security patch to a file server that requires a reboot, causing a service outage of approximately 10 minutes. According to change management best practices, which document should the technician complete and obtain approval for BEFORE performing the update?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse a planned change with an incident, selecting 'Incident report' because they associate the reboot outage with a problem, but change management requires a change request for any intentional modification that could affect service availability.
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
✓
Change request
A change request is the correct document because it formally describes the proposed modification (applying a critical security patch that requires a reboot), its scope, risk assessment, rollback plan, and expected downtime. Change management best practices require that any planned change with potential service impact be reviewed and approved by a change advisory board (CAB) before implementation to ensure coordination and minimize disruption.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Change request
Why this is correct
A change request is the formal change management artifact used to document the proposed patch, its justification, implementation steps, rollback plan, and impact assessment. For a security patch on a file server, the change request captures the maintenance window, expected downtime, testing results, and approval from the change advisory board (CAB). It provides a structured review process to minimize risk to production file services and ensures traceability for auditing.
- ✗
Incident report
Why it's wrong here
An incident report records an unplanned interruption to service, such as a file server crash or a severe vulnerability exploit, and focuses on restoring normal operations and documenting the timeline of the event. Applying a security patch is a scheduled, deliberate action that should be initiated through change management, not through the incident management workflow, which is reserved for reacting to events that have already occurred. Using an incident report for a planned patch would bypass risk assessment and approval controls.
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Knowledge base article
Why it's wrong here
A knowledge base article is a self-help or reference document that provides instructions, known-error descriptions, or post-implementation details like how to verify the patch for end users or IT staff. It is created after the change has been implemented, not before, so it cannot serve as the authorization vehicle for the patch. The change request must be submitted and approved first; the knowledge base article can later capture lessons learned or operational procedures.
- ✗
Asset inventory
Why it's wrong here
An asset inventory is a database (e.g., CMDB or spreadsheet) that lists configuration items such as hardware, software, and versions, including the file server's current patch level. It helps identify which systems need the patch, but it does not contain workflow steps or approval authority. A change request is required to execute the patch; asset inventory merely provides the context of the affected asset and is a planning aid, not the formal authorization document.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Change Management Process
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Risk assessment
Risk assessment is the process of identifying, analyzing, and evaluating potential threats to an organization's assets to determine the likelihood and impact of those threats, and to decide on appropriate treatment measures.
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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.