220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician is preparing to replace a failed hard drive in a file server that is still under warranty. The company's change management policy requires all hardware replacements to follow a formal process. Which step must the technician complete BEFORE implementing the replacement?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a good technical practice (testing the drive) with the mandatory procedural step required by change management policy, leading them to select Option A instead of recognizing that CAB approval is the prerequisite.
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
✓
Obtain approval from the Change Advisory Board (CAB)
The change management policy requires formal approval before any hardware replacement on a system under warranty. The Change Advisory Board (CAB) must authorize the change to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and maintain warranty validity. Implementing the replacement without CAB approval violates the policy, even if the drive is known to be faulty.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Verify the replacement drive is functional by testing it in a non-production system
Why it's wrong here
Testing the replacement drive in a non-production system is a wise preliminary step to confirm the hardware is not defective, but this activity only validates the component, not the process of swapping it into a live file server. The actual installation will interrupt service and modify a production environment, which is precisely the kind of action that requires formal approval from the Change Advisory Board (CAB) under change management policy. Therefore, while useful, this test cannot substitute for obtaining the necessary authorization before proceeding with the replacement.
- ✓
Obtain approval from the Change Advisory Board (CAB)
Why this is correct
Obtaining CAB approval is the correct first action because change management mandates that any modification to a production system, including a hard drive replacement, be formally reviewed and authorized before implementation. This review assesses the risk of data loss, verifies that backups and rollback procedures exist, and coordinates the change window to avoid conflicting with other scheduled maintenance or business-critical periods. Skipping this step could result in unapproved downtime and policy violations, even if the replacement is technically sound.
- ✗
Notify all users of the planned downtime
Why it's wrong here
Notifying all users of planned downtime is an important communication step, but it belongs after the change has been approved and the maintenance window is scheduled, not before approval. Sending out alerts prematurely could cause confusion if the CAB rejects or reschedules the change, and users would be informed of a timeline that may not be accurate. The proper sequence is to secure approval first, then coordinate the notification with the approved schedule to avoid unnecessary disruption.
- ✗
Document the replacement procedure in the knowledge base
Why it's wrong here
Documenting the replacement procedure in the knowledge base is fundamentally a post-implementation activity, meant to record the actual steps executed, the outcome, and any lessons learned for future technicians. Writing the procedure before the change offers no operational benefit and does not address the immediate need for change authorization; it also risks embedding an untested process into organizational knowledge. The knowledge base entry should reference the CAB-approved change and its successful completion after the fact.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Disk Management
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
General Data Protection Regulation
A European Union law that gives individuals control over their personal data and sets strict rules for how organizations collect, store, and process that data.
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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.