The answer is blocked network connectivity on port 5022 between the replicas. When you troubleshoot Always On Availability Group pending failover disconnected secondary issues, the PENDING_FAILOVER state on the primary replica means a failover was triggered but could not complete because the secondary replica is DISCONNECTED. Error 35202 specifically indicates a failed connection attempt to the secondary, which in an Always On Availability Group is almost always caused by a firewall or network rule blocking the dedicated endpoint port, defaulting to 5022. On the DP-300 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of AG endpoint communication and the failover lifecycle; a common trap is to suspect database mirroring certificates or service account permissions, but the error code points directly to a network layer problem. Remember the memory tip: 35202 = “35” (three-five) “02” (zero-two) = “5022” reversed, so when you see that error, immediately check port 5022 connectivity.
DP-300 Practice Question: Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery
This DP-300 practice question tests your understanding of plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery. 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.
Exhibit
Refer to the exhibit.
```
-- Current state of the availability group
SELECT ag.name AS ag_name,
replica_server_name,
role_desc,
operational_state_desc,
connected_state_desc,
synchronization_health_desc,
last_connect_error_number,
last_connect_error_time
FROM sys.dm_hadr_availability_replica_states rs
JOIN sys.availability_groups ag ON rs.group_id = ag.group_id
WHERE ag.name = 'AG1';
```
Output:
ag_name | replica_server_name | role_desc | operational_state_desc | connected_state_desc | synchronization_health_desc | last_connect_error_number | last_connect_error_time
AG1 | SQLVM-Primary | PRIMARY | PENDING_FAILOVER | CONNECTED | HEALTHY | 0 | NULL
AG1 | SQLVM-Secondary | SECONDARY | ONLINE | DISCONNECTED | NOT_HEALTHY | 35202 | 2024-03-15 10:30:00.000
You are troubleshooting an Always On Availability Group named AG1. The exhibit shows the current state. The primary replica shows PENDING_FAILOVER. The secondary replica is DISCONNECTED with error 35202. What is the most likely cause of this issue?
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.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Clue: "always"
Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Network connectivity between the replicas is blocked on port 5022
The PENDING_FAILOVER state on the primary replica indicates that a failover was initiated but could not complete because the secondary replica is DISCONNECTED. Error 35202 specifically indicates that a connection attempt to the secondary replica failed, which in an Always On Availability Group (AG) is typically due to a network connectivity issue on the dedicated endpoint port (default 5022). Since the secondary is unreachable, the failover cannot finalize, leaving the primary in a pending state.
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.
✓
Network connectivity between the replicas is blocked on port 5022
Why this is correct
Error 35202 often relates to connectivity issues on the mirroring endpoint port.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "most likely", "primary", "always" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The availability group listener is not configured correctly
Why it's wrong here
Listener issues do not cause replica disconnection.
✗
The primary instance encountered a critical error and failed over automatically
Why it's wrong here
PENDING_FAILOVER indicates a manual or forced failover, not automatic.
✗
The cluster has lost quorum
Why it's wrong here
Quorum loss would show different symptoms; both replicas would be affected.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the availability group listener port (default 1433) with the replica-to-replica synchronization endpoint port (default 5022), leading them to incorrectly attribute the issue to listener misconfiguration rather than a blocked endpoint port.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
Quorum loss would show different symptoms; both replicas would be affected.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Always On Availability Groups use a dedicated TCP endpoint (default port 5022) for data movement and synchronization between replicas. The error 35202 corresponds to a connection timeout or failure on this endpoint, often caused by firewall rules, network ACLs, or incorrect endpoint configuration. In a real-world scenario, if a DBA mistakenly changes the endpoint port or a network team blocks the port without updating the AG configuration, the secondary will remain DISCONNECTED and any attempted failover will hang in PENDING_FAILOVER until connectivity is restored.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this DP-300 question in full detail.
Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — This question tests Plan and configure high availability and disaster recovery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Network connectivity between the replicas is blocked on port 5022 — The PENDING_FAILOVER state on the primary replica indicates that a failover was initiated but could not complete because the secondary replica is DISCONNECTED. Error 35202 specifically indicates that a connection attempt to the secondary replica failed, which in an Always On Availability Group (AG) is typically due to a network connectivity issue on the dedicated endpoint port (default 5022). Since the secondary is unreachable, the failover cannot finalize, leaving the primary in a pending state.
What should I do if I get this DP-300 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", "primary", "always". 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.
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