Question 184 of 144
SK0-005 troubleshooting Practice Question
A company has a small virtualized environment with two ESXi 7.0 hosts (HostA and HostB) managed by vCenter Server. They use a shared iSCSI storage array for all VMs. The network consists of a single physical switch that connects the hosts, storage, and management traffic using VLANs. Yesterday, the switch failed and was replaced with an identical model. After restoring the configuration from a backup, all VMs on HostA are working normally, but all VMs on HostB show 'network disconnected' in the vSphere console. The VMs on HostB are still running, but they cannot communicate with any other device on the network. HostB itself is reachable via its management IP and can access the storage array. The administrator has verified that the physical cables are correct and the NICs are up on HostB. The VLAN configuration on the new switch was restored for the ports connecting HostB, but the issue persists. Which of the following actions should the administrator perform FIRST to restore connectivity?
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
✓
Check the VLAN configuration on the switch ports connected to HostB for the VM network uplinks.
Option B is correct. Since all other functions (management, storage) work and only VM traffic is affected, the most likely cause is incorrect VLAN tagging on the switch port carrying the VM traffic uplink. Restoring a switch config may have missed the exact VLAN trunk settings. Checking and correcting the VLAN configuration on the switch ports for HostB's VM network is the first targeted step. Options A and C are nondisruptive but don't address the immediate config issue. Option D involves rebooting the host without diagnosing, which is risky and may not fix the issue.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reboot HostB to renegotiate the network configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Rebooting is a disruptive last resort; the issue is likely a static VLAN misconfig that a reboot won't fix unless the host's switch configuration is corrected.
- ✗
Restart the vCenter Server service on the vCenter appliance.
Why it's wrong here
vCenter manages the cluster but host networking is configured on each host; restarting vCenter does not change switch or host VLAN settings.
- ✗
vMotion all affected VMs from HostB to HostA to confirm they work on HostA.
Why it's wrong here
This would confirm the VMs are functional, but it does not fix HostB's networking and may not be possible if HostB's VM network is down.
- ✓
Check the VLAN configuration on the switch ports connected to HostB for the VM network uplinks.
Why this is correct
The symptoms point to a VLAN misconfiguration on the new switch affecting only VM traffic; verifying and correcting the VLANs will likely resolve the disconnection.
Visual reference
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Last reviewed: Jul 26, 2026
This SK0-005 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 SK0-005 exam.
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