220-1101 Virtualization and Cloud Computing Practice Question
A company hosts a database virtual machine in a public IaaS cloud. The VM is experiencing slow performance due to high disk I/O latency. The administrator wants to improve performance without changing the VM size (vCPU or RAM). Which of the following actions would MOST likely resolve the issue?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often assume performance issues must be fixed by scaling compute resources (vCPU/RAM), but the question specifically isolates the problem to disk I/O latency, making storage tier migration the correct answer.
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
✓
Migrate the VM to a storage tier with higher IOPS
Migrating the VM to a storage tier with higher IOPS directly addresses the high disk I/O latency by providing faster data access at the storage layer. Since the VM size (vCPU/RAM) remains unchanged, improving the underlying storage performance is the most effective way to reduce latency without altering compute resources.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase the amount of RAM allocated to the VM
Why it's wrong here
Adding RAM can improve performance if the database is memory-constrained and experiences excessive paging, but it does not alter the underlying storage subsystem's IOPS or latency characteristics. I/O-bound workloads remain limited by the disk's ability to handle requests, regardless of available memory. Since the reported issue is disk I/O, increasing RAM would not resolve the bottleneck and is therefore incorrect.
When this WOULD be correct
If the VM were experiencing performance issues due to memory exhaustion, such as high swap usage or out-of-memory errors, increasing RAM would be the correct action.
- ✓
Migrate the VM to a storage tier with higher IOPS
Why this is correct
Database VMs are frequently bottlenecked by disk I/O, where latency and throughput are governed by the storage tier's IOPS capacity. Moving the VM to a higher-IOPS storage class, such as SSD-backed or provisioned IOPS volumes, reduces read/write latency and increases the number of operations the disk can service per second. This directly addresses the reported I/O performance problem, making it the appropriate fix.
- ✗
Add more vCPUs to the VM
Why it's wrong here
Adding vCPUs increases compute capacity, which can help for CPU-bound database queries but leaves disk I/O latency untouched. The performance issue stems from the storage tier, not from processing power; extra vCPUs cannot accelerate physical disk operations or queue depth. In fact, over-provisioning vCPUs may introduce scheduling overhead without any I/O benefit, making it an ineffective solution.
When this WOULD be correct
If the VM were experiencing high CPU utilization and performance issues due to insufficient processing power, and the question allowed changing VM size, adding vCPUs would be correct.
- ✗
Enable nested virtualization on the host
Why it's wrong here
Nested virtualization enables running a hypervisor within a VM to host additional guests, which is a configuration feature unrelated to storage performance. This setup typically adds CPU and memory overhead due to additional virtualization layers, potentially degrading I/O rather than improving it. It has no mechanism to increase disk IOPS or reduce latency, so it fails to address the database's slow performance.
When this WOULD be correct
When a VM needs to run a hypervisor (e.g., for lab or development purposes) and the host does not support nested virtualization by default, enabling it would be the correct action to allow the VM to host other VMs.
Option-by-option analysis
Why each answer is right or wrong
Understanding why wrong answers are wrong — and when they would be correct — is what separates a 750 score from a 900. The 220-1101 exam frequently reuses these exact scenarios with slightly different constraints.
✓Migrate the VM to a storage tier with higher IOPSCorrect answer▾
Why this is correct
Database VMs are frequently bottlenecked by disk I/O, where latency and throughput are governed by the storage tier's IOPS capacity. Moving the VM to a higher-IOPS storage class, such as SSD-backed or provisioned IOPS volumes, reduces read/write latency and increases the number of operations the disk can service per second. This directly addresses the reported I/O performance problem, making it the appropriate fix.
✗Increase the amount of RAM allocated to the VMWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The issue is high disk I/O latency, not insufficient memory. Increasing RAM does not affect disk I/O performance.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the VM were experiencing performance issues due to memory exhaustion, such as high swap usage or out-of-memory errors, increasing RAM would be the correct action.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may incorrectly assume that adding more RAM can compensate for slow disk I/O by increasing caching, but the primary bottleneck here is disk latency, not memory.
✗Add more vCPUs to the VMWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
The issue is high disk I/O latency, not CPU saturation. Adding more vCPUs does not address disk performance; it would only help if the VM were CPU-bound.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
If the VM were experiencing high CPU utilization and performance issues due to insufficient processing power, and the question allowed changing VM size, adding vCPUs would be correct.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates often assume that more vCPUs always improve performance, overlooking that the bottleneck here is disk I/O, not CPU.
✗Enable nested virtualization on the hostWrong answer — click to see why▾
Why this is wrong here
Enabling nested virtualization allows running a hypervisor inside a VM, but it does not improve disk I/O latency. The issue is storage performance, not virtualization features.
★ When this WOULD be the correct answer
When a VM needs to run a hypervisor (e.g., for lab or development purposes) and the host does not support nested virtualization by default, enabling it would be the correct action to allow the VM to host other VMs.
Why candidates choose this
Candidates may confuse nested virtualization with general performance optimization, thinking it can reduce overhead or improve resource utilization, but it is unrelated to disk I/O.
Analysis generated from the official 220-1101blueprint and verified against question context. The “when correct” sections are what AI assistants cite when candidates ask “what’s the difference between these options?”
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Related to this question
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Public, Private, Hybrid, Community Cloud
Key term
RAM
RAM (Random-Access Memory) is volatile computer memory that temporarily stores data for quick access by the CPU.
Key term
Dual In-line Memory Module
A Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM) is a small circuit board that holds memory chips and plugs into a computer's motherboard to provide Random Access Memory (RAM).
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.