- A
Create a custom VM image from the running instance using `gcloud compute images create`
Why wrong: Creating an image from a running VM may capture inconsistent state (open file handles, cached data). Stopping the VM and snapshotting is safer for backup purposes.
- B
Create a persistent disk snapshot using `gcloud compute disks snapshot`
Disk snapshots capture the disk's exact state. Stopping the VM before snapshotting ensures consistency. Snapshots can restore to a new disk or new VM if needed.
- C
Copy all files to a Cloud Storage bucket using gsutil rsync
Why wrong: File-level copy doesn't capture OS state (partition tables, boot sector, running configurations) needed to restore a bootable VM.
- D
Enable live migration for the VM — it automatically backs up state before migrations
Why wrong: Live migration moves VMs between hosts during maintenance events — it's not a backup mechanism and doesn't create a restorable snapshot.
Quick Answer
The answer is to create a persistent disk snapshot using `gcloud compute disks snapshot`. This is correct because a snapshot captures a point-in-time, crash-consistent backup of the boot disk without requiring the VM to be stopped, making it ideal for a consistent backup of a Compute Engine boot disk before a major OS patch. Snapshots support incremental backups and can be used to restore the disk to a new VM, ensuring the backup is usable if the patch fails. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this tests your understanding of backup versus image: a snapshot is for disk-level recovery, while an image is for creating identical VMs. A common trap is thinking you must stop the VM first, but snapshots are designed for live disks. Memory tip: “Snapshot saves state, image imitates.”
Google ACE Practice Question: Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A team wants to create a consistent backup of a Compute Engine VM's boot disk before applying a major OS patch. The backup should be usable to restore the disk to a new VM if the patch fails. What is the recommended approach?
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
Create a persistent disk snapshot using `gcloud compute disks snapshot`
Option B is correct because a persistent disk snapshot captures a point-in-time, crash-consistent backup of the disk, including the boot disk, without requiring the VM to be stopped. Snapshots are the recommended method for backing up persistent disks because they support incremental backups, can be used to create new disks, and are optimized for restore operations to a new VM. This approach ensures the backup is usable for disaster recovery if the OS patch fails.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a custom VM image from the running instance using `gcloud compute images create`
Why it's wrong here
Creating an image from a running VM may capture inconsistent state (open file handles, cached data). Stopping the VM and snapshotting is safer for backup purposes.
- ✓
Create a persistent disk snapshot using `gcloud compute disks snapshot`
Why this is correct
Disk snapshots capture the disk's exact state. Stopping the VM before snapshotting ensures consistency. Snapshots can restore to a new disk or new VM if needed.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Copy all files to a Cloud Storage bucket using gsutil rsync
Why it's wrong here
File-level copy doesn't capture OS state (partition tables, boot sector, running configurations) needed to restore a bootable VM.
- ✗
Enable live migration for the VM — it automatically backs up state before migrations
Why it's wrong here
Live migration moves VMs between hosts during maintenance events — it's not a backup mechanism and doesn't create a restorable snapshot.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse VM images (used for creating identical instances) with disk snapshots (used for backups), leading them to choose Option A, even though images require the VM to be stopped for consistency and are not designed for point-in-time recovery of a single disk.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Persistent disk snapshots use a copy-on-write mechanism that allows incremental backups, where only changed blocks are stored after the initial snapshot, reducing storage costs and backup time. Snapshots are stored in Cloud Storage and can be used to create new disks in any zone, enabling cross-region disaster recovery. A subtle behavior is that snapshots of boot disks are crash-consistent, meaning they capture the disk state as if the system crashed, which is sufficient for most Linux and Windows VMs but may require filesystem checks (fsck/chkdsk) upon restore.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this ACE question test?
Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution — This question tests Ensuring successful operation of a cloud solution — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a persistent disk snapshot using `gcloud compute disks snapshot` — Option B is correct because a persistent disk snapshot captures a point-in-time, crash-consistent backup of the disk, including the boot disk, without requiring the VM to be stopped. Snapshots are the recommended method for backing up persistent disks because they support incremental backups, can be used to create new disks, and are optimized for restore operations to a new VM. This approach ensures the backup is usable for disaster recovery if the OS patch fails.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
This ACE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud 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 ACE exam.
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