220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician needs to replace a failed power supply unit (PSU) in a server that has dual redundant PSUs. The server is in production and is currently running on the remaining functioning PSU. According to change management best practices, which of the following should the technician do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume 'redundant means safe to replace immediately,' ignoring that change management procedures still apply to all production changes, regardless of redundancy.
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
✓
Submit a change request to document the replacement.
According to change management best practices, any hardware replacement in a production environment—even for a redundant component—must be preceded by a documented change request. This ensures proper risk assessment, scheduling, and rollback planning, preventing unauthorized changes that could lead to service disruption. Option B is correct because submitting the change request first aligns with the ITIL framework's change management process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Replace the failed PSU immediately to restore redundancy.
Why it's wrong here
Immediate replacement of the failed PSU may seem justified to restore redundancy, but it bypasses change management procedures. This can lead to unapproved modifications, missing documentation, and potential conflicts with scheduled maintenance or other IT changes. In a properly managed environment, even hot-swappable hardware replacements require a change request to ensure auditability and coordination.
- ✓
Submit a change request to document the replacement.
Why this is correct
Submitting a change request is the correct first step because it formalizes the approval, scheduling, and documentation of the PSU replacement. This ensures the change is reviewed for risks, coordinated with other maintenance activities, and recorded for future reference. Even though the server has dual PSUs and can operate during replacement, change control is essential for compliance and operational continuity.
- ✗
Power down the server to replace the PSU safely.
Why it's wrong here
Powering down the server to replace a redundant PSU is unnecessary because the second PSU continues to supply power, allowing for true hot-swapping. Shutting down the server would cause avoidable downtime, defeating the purpose of redundancy. For an enterprise server, service continuity is critical, and the design explicitly supports live replacement of failed PSUs without affecting workloads.
- ✗
Reallocate the server's workloads to another server.
Why it's wrong here
Reallocating workloads to another server is an overreaction and not the appropriate action for a single PSU failure. The dual-PSU configuration already provides fault tolerance, so the server can remain in service while the failed unit is swapped. Arbitrarily moving workloads would create unnecessary complexity and disruption, whereas the proper sequence begins with a change request, not workload migration.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Password Managers and Best Practices
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
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
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