Courseiva
← PCA
Full test
Question 272 of 509
Ensure solution and operations reliability →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Google PCA Ensure solution and operations reliability Practice Question

This PCA practice question tests your understanding of ensure solution and operations reliability. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.

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?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

  • Clue: "most likely"

    Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →

Exhibit

Refer to the exhibit.

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

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

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.

Option A is correct because 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.

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.

  • ✓

    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.

    Clue confirmation

    The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.

    Related concept

    Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

  • ✗

    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.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

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.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Under the hood, the 'onHostMaintenance' setting is defined in the instance's metadata and can be set to 'MIGRATE' (default for most instances) or 'TERMINATE'. Live migration uses a process called 'pre-copy memory migration' where memory pages are transferred while the instance runs, but this is blocked for instances with GPUs due to PCIe passthrough limitations or local SSDs because their data is ephemeral. A real-world scenario is a GPU-accelerated training job: if the host fails, the instance must terminate and restart, losing in-memory state, which is why checkpointing is critical.

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

An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Related practice questions

Related PCA practice-question pages

Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.

Design and plan a cloud solution architecture practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Design and plan a cloud solution architecture.

Manage and provision cloud infrastructure practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Manage and provision cloud infrastructure.

Design for security and compliance practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Design for security and compliance.

Analyze and optimize technical and business processes practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Analyze and optimize technical and business processes.

Manage implementation of cloud architecture practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Manage implementation of cloud architecture.

Ensure solution and operations reliability practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to Ensure solution and operations reliability.

PCA fundamentals practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to PCA fundamentals.

PCA scenario practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to PCA scenario.

PCA troubleshooting practice questions

Practise PCA questions linked to PCA troubleshooting.

Practice this exam

Start a free PCA practice session

Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.

10 questions20 questions30 questions50 questionsTimed 30
PCA practice-test guide →Study guide →Browse all practice tests

FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this PCA question test?

Ensure solution and operations reliability — This question tests Ensure solution and operations reliability — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: The instance will be terminated and then restarted, causing a brief downtime. — Option A is correct because 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.

What should I do if I get this PCA question wrong?

Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →

How Courseiva writes practice questions · Editorial policy

Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026

Question Discussion

Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.

Loading comments…

Sign in to join the discussion.

This PCA 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 PCA exam.