ITIL4F ITIL Management Practices Practice Question
An event indicating that a server's disk usage has reached 85% is detected. According to ITIL 4, what type of event is this?
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
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Warning
In ITIL 4, events are categorized as informational, warning, or exception. A warning event indicates a potential problem, such as disk usage reaching 85%. Therefore, Option B is correct. Option A (Exception) is for events that indicate a breach of a threshold or actual failure, such as disk full. Option C (Alert) is not a formal ITIL event category. Option D (Informational) is for routine operations, not potential problems.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Exception
Why it's wrong here
An exception event signifies a critical deviation from normal operation, representing a breach of a severe threshold that often indicates a service impairment or failure. For instance, a "disk full" scenario, where operations are directly impacted, would constitute an exception. A server's disk usage reaching 80% is a high value but typically does not yet represent a critical failure state or an immediate service outage, thus it falls short of being classified as an exception.
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Warning
Why this is correct
A warning event indicates a condition that, if left unaddressed, has the potential to escalate into a significant problem or service disruption. It serves as an early indicator, prompting proactive investigation or intervention before a critical threshold is breached. A server's disk usage reaching 80% precisely fits this category, as it signals a need for attention and potential action to prevent the disk from becoming full, which would then become a more severe issue.
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Alert
Why it's wrong here
While "alert" is a commonly used term in IT operations to describe a notification mechanism, it is not recognized as a distinct event category within the ITIL 4 framework. ITIL 4 categorizes events based on their nature and significance (e.g., informational, warning, exception) rather than the method by which they are communicated. Therefore, classifying the 80% disk usage as an "alert" is incorrect in the context of ITIL's defined event types.
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Informational
Why it's wrong here
Informational events are routine, expected notifications that confirm the normal operation of a service or component and do not indicate any deviation or potential problem. These events typically require no action beyond logging. A server's disk usage reaching 80% is clearly not a routine or benign notification; it signifies a condition that requires attention and potential action, distinguishing it from a purely informational event.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This ITIL4F practice question is part of Courseiva's free PeopleCert 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 ITIL4F exam.