Chapters 13 and 14 IT Automation Review

What is the primary purpose of using guard rails in IT automation? Choose the best response.

• To detect automated attacks

• To protect against malicious use of automation

• To reduce the risk of accidental misuse of automated systems

• To separate on-premise and cloud systems that are managed by the same orchestration tools

Answer explanation

The primary purpose of guard rails in IT automation is to reduce the risk of accidental misuse of automated systems. This ensures that automation is used safely and effectively, preventing unintended consequences.

What automation practice keeps code created by multiple developers from diverging or conflicting? Choose the best response.

• Continuous delivery

• Continuous deployment

• Continuous integration

• Continuous monitoring

Answer explanation

Continuous integration is the practice that ensures code from multiple developers is regularly merged and tested, preventing divergence and conflicts. This helps maintain a stable codebase.

In a software change management process, which practice is primarily designed to make backout plans more reliable? Choose the best response.

• Impact analysis

• Inventory management

• Maintenance windows

• Version control

Answer explanation

Version control ensures that all changes are tracked and can be reverted if necessary, making backout plans more reliable. It allows teams to manage different versions of software effectively.

Which of the following is NOT good advice for planning maintenance windows? Choose the best response.

• Include planned changes in notifications to users and administrators.

• Include sufficient time for initial testing but prepare for a longer review process after the window.

• Schedule them based on anticipated vendor patching schedules, with additional time budgeted for testing.

• Use a single maintenance window for all systems in the enterprise rather than staggering them.

Answer explanation

Using a single maintenance window for all systems can lead to increased downtime and complications. Staggering maintenance allows for better resource management and minimizes impact on users.

Which of the following script file extensions are not specific to Linux or Windows? Choose all that apply.

• .bat

• .ps1

• .py

• .rb

• .sh

Answer explanation

The extensions .py (Python) and .rb (Ruby) are not specific to Linux or Windows, as they can run on multiple platforms. In contrast, .bat (Windows), .ps1 (PowerShell), and .sh (Shell script) are specific to Windows or Linux.

What document specifically covers moving operations to a temporary site? Choose the best response.

• BCP

• BIA

• COOP

• DRP

Answer explanation

The COOP (Continuity of Operations Plan) specifically addresses the procedures for moving operations to a temporary site during disruptions, making it the best choice for this question.

What is also known as a “structured walkthrough?” Choose the best response.

• Checklist test

• ISCP

• Simulation test

• Tabletop exercise

Answer explanation

A "tabletop exercise" is a type of structured walkthrough where participants discuss their roles and responses to a simulated scenario, making it the correct choice. Other options do not fit this definition.

You have a critical database server that continuously backs its files up to the cloud. Still, its software environment is so finicky that if it encountered a critical failure, it would take a long time to get it working again. How would you describe your recovery plan for that service? Choose the best response.

• High RPO and high RTO

• High RPO and low RTO

• Low RPO and high RTO

• Low RPO and low RTO

Answer explanation

The recovery plan should have a low RPO (Recovery Point Objective) to minimize data loss, ensuring backups are frequent. A high RTO (Recovery Time Objective) is acceptable due to the complex environment, allowing more time for recovery.

Your company rents a spare server room in a secondary location. It has all the necessary hardware, network connectivity, and production environment, so all you have to do in a data center failure is redirect incoming network traffic. What is it? Choose the best response.

• Hot site

• Hot spare

• Cold site

• Cold spare

Answer explanation

A hot site is a fully equipped backup facility that can take over operations immediately after a failure, as it has all necessary hardware and connectivity. This matches the scenario described, making 'hot site' the correct choice.

In terms of time, how does a differential backup plan generally differ from an incremental backup plan? Choose the best response.

• It’s quicker both to create backups and to restore data.

• It’s quicker to create backups but slower to restore data.

• It’s slower to create backups but quicker to restore data.

• It’s slower both to create backups and to restore data.

Answer explanation

A differential backup captures all changes since the last full backup, making it slower to create than an incremental backup, which only saves changes since the last backup. However, restoring from a differential backup is quicker.