Google PCA Ensure solution and operations reliability Practice Question

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

gcloud compute instances describe example-instance --format=json

{
  ...
  "scheduling": {
    "onHostMaintenance": "TERMINATE",
    "automaticRestart": true
  },
  "status": "RUNNING"
}

The exhibit shows the output of a 'gcloud compute instances describe' command for an instance. What is the most likely impact on reliability if the host machine needs maintenance?

⚠ Common exam trap

Google Cloud often tests the distinction between 'automatic restart' (which handles crash recovery) and 'onHostMaintenance' (which handles planned maintenance), causing candidates to mistakenly think automatic restart prevents downtime during maintenance.

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

✓

The instance will be terminated and then restarted, causing a brief downtime.

When a host machine requires maintenance, Google Compute Engine instances that are not configured for live migration will be terminated and then restarted on another host. This behavior is determined by the 'onHostMaintenance' setting; if it is set to 'TERMINATE' (the default for instances with GPUs or preemptible VMs), the instance stops and restarts, causing brief downtime. The exhibit likely shows 'onHostMaintenance: TERMINATE' or the instance lacks live migration support, making termination and restart the expected outcome.

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

✓
The instance will be terminated and then restarted, causing a brief downtime.
Why this is correct
With TERMINATE, the instance is shut down and later restarted on a healthy host, resulting in downtime.
✗
The instance will not be affected because automatic restart is enabled.
Why it's wrong here
Automatic restart only restarts the instance after it is terminated; there is still downtime during maintenance.
✗
The instance will be backed up automatically before maintenance.
Why it's wrong here
No automatic backup is triggered by this setting.
✗
The instance will be live migrated to another host without interruption.
Why it's wrong here
Live migration requires onHostMaintenance=MIGRATE, not TERMINATE.

Go deeper

Google PCA Ensure solution and operations reliability Practice Question

Exhibit

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

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