hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped
FC0-U71 Practice Question: An IT department is planning a new server…
An IT department is planning a new server deployment. They need to ensure that if one server fails, another can take over with minimal downtime. Which concept describes this requirement?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse high availability with fault tolerance, but high availability typically allows for a short failover delay (seconds to minutes), while fault tolerance requires zero downtime by having redundant components operating in parallel, as implied by 'another can take over with minimal downtime.'
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
✓
Fault tolerance
The requirement describes a system where a secondary server automatically takes over with minimal downtime upon failure of the primary server. This is the definition of fault tolerance, which uses redundant components (e.g., dual power supplies, RAID, or clustered servers) to ensure continuous operation without interruption. High availability (option C) is related but focuses on maximizing uptime through redundancy and failover, whereas fault tolerance specifically aims for zero or near-zero downtime by masking failures completely.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Disaster recovery
Why it's wrong here
Disaster recovery involves restoring operations after a catastrophic event, not immediate failover.
- ✗
Scalability
Why it's wrong here
Scalability refers to the ability to handle increased load, not failure recovery.
- ✗
High availability
Why it's wrong here
High availability includes redundancy and automatic failover, but the specific requirement for minimal downtime with a backup server is fault tolerance.
- ✓
Fault tolerance
Why this is correct
Fault tolerance ensures continued operation despite failures, often through redundant components.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This FC0-U71 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 FC0-U71 exam.