220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician is applying a critical security patch to a web server during a scheduled maintenance window. The patch was tested in a lab and approved by the Change Advisory Board. During the installation, the server becomes unresponsive and will not boot. The technician has a backup of the server configuration and a system state backup. According to change management best practices, what should the technician do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose Option D (document and continue) because they confuse change management documentation requirements with the immediate need to restore service, or they may pick Option C (contact vendor) thinking vendor support is required for security patches, when in fact a tested rollback plan is the mandated first step.
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 server from the system state backup
The system state backup contains the operating system, registry, and critical boot files, making it the fastest way to restore the server to a bootable state after a failed patch installation. Change management best practices prioritize rolling back to the last known good configuration before escalating to more destructive or time-consuming options.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reinstall the operating system
Why it's wrong here
Reinstalling the operating system is an unnecessarily drastic measure that wipes out the server's configuration, installed applications, and user data, forcing a full rebuild and hours of additional downtime. A system state backup captures only the critical OS components and registry needed to roll back the failed patch, so it provides a far faster and more surgical recovery that preserves the existing environment.
- ✓
Restore the server from the system state backup
Why this is correct
Restoring the server from a system state backup is the correct backout action because a system state backup contains the boot files, system registry, and critical operating system components that the patch modified. By restoring these items to their pre-patch state, the server is returned to a known-good condition without affecting user data or installed applications, effectively reversing the failed implementation. This is a standard step in a well-documented backout plan for a failed patch deployment.
- ✗
Contact the software vendor for support
Why it's wrong here
Contacting the software vendor for support is premature because the immediate priority is to restore service using the backout plan; vendor assistance may be useful after the rollback to investigate the root cause, but it does not actively reverse the patch's damage. Waiting for vendor support could prolong downtime indefinitely, whereas restoring from the system state backup restores functionality quickly and independently. The backout plan should be executed first, and vendor escalation reserved for post-recovery analysis.
- ✗
Document the failure and continue with the patch
Why it's wrong here
Documenting the failure and continuing with the patch is reckless because it leaves the web server in a broken state, risking continued errors, data corruption, or security vulnerabilities for an extended period. The change-management process requires that a failed patch be rolled back to the previous known-good configuration, not pushed through in the hope that the damage is temporary. Proper documentation is important, but it should occur as part of executing the backout plan—after restoring service—not as a justification to abandon it.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
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
Registry
The Windows Registry is a central hierarchical database that stores configuration settings and options for the operating system, hardware, software, and user preferences.
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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.