220-1102 Operational Procedures Practice Question
A technician is replacing a server's power supply under an approved change. After removing the old power supply, the technician discovers the new unit has a different connector type and cannot be installed. What should the technician do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse a hardware incompatibility with an emergency situation, leading them to choose Option C (initiate an emergency change) when the correct action is to back out the change and report the issue per standard change management procedures.
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
✓
Reinstall the old power supply and report the issue
The technician discovered a hardware incompatibility (different connector type) during a planned change. Per change management best practices, if a planned change cannot be completed as approved, the technician must back out the change by reinstalling the old power supply to restore the server to its original state, then report the issue so the change can be properly re-evaluated and corrected. This prevents unauthorized modifications and ensures the change process remains controlled.
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 old power supply and report the issue
Why this is correct
Reinstalling the original power supply restores service immediately while keeping the change request's rollback step intact. Although the old unit may lack the headroom needed for future expansion, it is a known-good part that allows the server to run safely. Reporting the issue to the change coordinator then supports opening a new change to acquire the correctly specified PSU without extending downtime.
- ✗
Proceed with installation using adapter cables
Why it's wrong here
Using adapter cables to force-fit an incorrect power supply can reroute or short the +12V, +5V, and +3.3V rails, which risks voltage drops, overcurrent protection trips, or damage to the motherboard and drives. Adapters also bypass ATX/EPS pinout and connector keying standards, creating a potential fire or shock hazard, and typically void the server and PSU warranties. This approach is not approved by the change and fails to comply with safe power-delivery practices.
- ✗
Contact the supervisor to initiate an emergency change
Why it's wrong here
Initiating an emergency change is generally reserved for an unplanned outage where service has already been lost and no immediate workaround exists. Here, you can restore full service in minutes by reinstalling the old power supply, so the incident does not meet the urgency threshold for an emergency change. Unnecessarily invoking the emergency process can consume the on-call team's time and might subject the organization to audit scrutiny, since the approved change's rollback plan was never attempted.
- ✗
Order the correct power supply and leave the server offline
Why it's wrong here
Leaving the server offline while ordering a correct replacement extends downtime unnecessarily, especially when a simple rollback to the old power supply can return operations to normal at once. In enterprise environments, a critical server offline can affect SLAs and business continuity, so the change management principle is to restore service first and then plan a non-urgent follow-up. This option ignores the rollback step of the approved change and converts a manageable situation into a self-imposed outage.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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