All practice questions

Question 1Question →

A network administrator is provisioning a hypervisor host server equipped with $128\text{ GB}$ of physical RAM. The host hypervisor requires $16\text{ GB}$ of RAM reserved strictly for host system operations and management overhead. If each guest virtual machine requires $12\text{ GB}$ of dedicated RAM, what is the maximum number of guest virtual machines that can run concurrently on this host without exceeding physical memory capacity?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 9

Answer

9

To find the maximum number of concurrent guest virtual machines supported without memory overcommitment, first subtract the

16\text{ GB}

reserved hypervisor overhead from the total

128\text{ GB}

physical RAM, leaving

112\text{ GB}

. Dividing

112\text{ GB}

by the

12\text{ GB}

required per VM yields approximately

9.33

. Since partial virtual machines cannot be instantiated, the host supports a maximum of 9 fully provisioned VMs.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate RAM available for virtual machines

128\text{ GB} - 16\text{ GB} = 112\text{ GB}

Deduct reserved hypervisor overhead from total physical RAM to ensure host operating system stability.

2

Calculate guest VM capacity

112\text{ GB} / 12\text{ GB} = 9.333...

virtual machines

Determine how many

12\text{ GB}

allocations fit into the remaining RAM pool.

3

Determine maximum concurrent VMs

9 virtual machines

Take the floor of the result because only complete virtual machines with full RAM allocations can run.

Key Concept

Virtual Machine RAM Capacity Planning and Hypervisor Overhead

Estimated Time:1m 30s

Question 2Question →

A network administrator is assembling a virtualization host server containing multi-port network adapter expansion cards and high-speed storage accelerators. The host system components exhibit the following peak power requirements under full load:

- Processor (CPU): $190\text{ W}$ peak draw
- Quad-port 10GbE PCIe expansion card: $35\text{ W}$
- PCIe NVMe storage accelerator card: $75\text{ W}$
- Motherboard, memory modules, and cooling system: $110\text{ W}$ constant
- Solid-state drive array (4 drives total): $10\text{ W}$ combined constant

To ensure operational stability and maintain peak efficiency, company guidelines require that the total peak power consumption does not exceed $75\%$ of the Power Supply Unit (PSU) maximum rated wattage output.

What is the minimum power supply capacity, in Watts ( $\text{W}$ ), required for this server configuration?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 560

Answer

The minimum power supply capacity required is

560\text{ W}

.

The total peak power draw of all components is

190\text{ W} + 35\text{ W} + 75\text{ W} + 110\text{ W} + 10\text{ W} = 420\text{ W}

. Since the system must not exceed

75\%

(

0.75

) of the PSU's total capacity, the required capacity is

\frac{420\text{ W}}{0.75} = 560\text{ W}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Sum the maximum peak wattage of all individual components to determine total peak system power draw.

Total peak draw =

190\text{ W} + 35\text{ W} + 75\text{ W} + 110\text{ W} + 10\text{ W} = 420\text{ W}

.

Accurate power sizing requires considering peak power consumption rather than average or idle draw.

2

Divide the total peak system draw by the maximum allowed load percentage (

0.75

).

Calculated minimum capacity =

\frac{420\text{ W}}{0.75} = 560\text{ W}

.

Restricting continuous peak system draw to

75\%

of rated PSU capacity leaves a

25\%

operating headroom, maintaining power conversion efficiency and avoiding overload shutdowns.

Key Concept

Power supply unit (PSU) wattage calculation and safety headroom planning

Estimated Time:2m 0s

Question 3Question →

A system technician is calculating the minimum recommended power supply unit (PSU) wattage rating for a multimedia editing workstation. The workstation components have the following maximum continuous power requirements under full load:

- Central Processing Unit (CPU): $95\text{ W}$
- Dedicated Graphics Card (GPU): $210\text{ W}$
- Hardware Capture Expansion Card: $45\text{ W}$
- 10GbE Network Adapter Card: $35\text{ W}$
- Motherboard, System RAM, Storage Drives, and Cooling Fans: $65\text{ W}$

According to IT best practices, a power supply should be sized so that total maximum system power consumption does not exceed $75\%$ of the PSU's rated continuous output capacity. What is the minimum rated output wattage required for the replacement PSU?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 600

Answer

600 W

To calculate the minimum required power supply wattage rating, first sum the continuous power draw of all components:

95\text{ W}\text{ (CPU)} + 210\text{ W}\text{ (GPU)} + 45\text{ W}\text{ (Capture Card)} + 35\text{ W}\text{ (NIC)} + 65\text{ W}\text{ (Motherboard/RAM/Storage/Cooling)} = 450\text{ W}

. To satisfy the guideline that total consumption must not exceed

75\%

(

0.75

) of the rated PSU capacity, divide the total wattage draw by 0.75:

\frac{450\text{ W}}{0.75} = 600\text{ W}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate the total power consumption of all workstation components under full load.

95\text{ W} + 210\text{ W} + 45\text{ W} + 35\text{ W} + 65\text{ W} = 450\text{ W}

total continuous power draw.

Proper PSU sizing requires accounting for all active internal hardware, including the CPU, GPU, all PCI Express expansion cards, drives, memory, motherboard, and cooling accessories.

2

Divide the total continuous power consumption by the targeted maximum load percentage (0.75).

\frac{450\text{ W}}{0.75} = 600\text{ W}

minimum rated power supply output capacity.

Operating a power supply at or below 75% capacity ensures optimal energy conversion efficiency, reduces heat production, and provides essential safety headroom for transient power draw spikes.

Key Concept

Power supply wattage sizing calculations based on total system component power draw and target continuous load headroom guidelines.

Estimated Time:1m 30s

Question 4Question →

A technician is sizing a power supply unit (PSU) for a dedicated video editing workstation. The workstation features the following components and estimated peak power requirements:
- Dual CPUs: $125\text{ W}$ TDP each
- Dual PCIe Graphics Cards: $165\text{ W}$ TDP each
- Motherboard, RAM, storage drives, and cooling fans combined: $120\text{ W}$

To ensure optimal efficiency and headroom, the technician specifies that total peak system draw must not exceed $70\%$ of the power supply's continuous wattage rating. What is the minimum continuous power supply output rating, in Watts, needed for this system?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 1000

Answer

The minimum continuous power supply output rating required is

1000\text{ W}

.

Summing component power requirements yields

250\text{ W}

for dual CPUs (

2 \times 125\text{ W}

),

330\text{ W}

for dual GPUs (

2 \times 165\text{ W}

), and

120\text{ W}

for additional peripherals, totaling

700\text{ W}

. To maintain peak system draw at or below

70\%

of maximum PSU output, divide total draw by

0.70

:

\frac{700\text{ W}}{0.70} = 1000\text{ W}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate total system peak power consumption

700\text{ W}

Sum power draw across dual CPUs (

250\text{ W}

), dual GPUs (

330\text{ W}

), and system peripherals (

120\text{ W}

).

2

Calculate minimum PSU rating based on the 70% headroom target

1000\text{ W}

Divide the total power draw of

700\text{ W}

by

0.70

so that peak draw represents no more than 70% of continuous output.

Key Concept

Power supply wattage sizing and efficiency headroom calculations

Question 5Question →

A system administrator is configuring a hypervisor host that will run 4 identical virtual machines. Each virtual machine requires 4 GB of RAM to function properly. Additionally, the host hypervisor requires a minimum of 4 GB of dedicated host RAM for its own operation. What is the minimum total amount of host RAM, in gigabytes (GB), required to support this configuration?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 20

Answer

The minimum total host RAM required is 20 GB.

The total host memory calculation must include both the RAM allocated to all guest virtual machines (

4 \times 4 \text{ GB} = 16 \text{ GB}

) and the memory reserved for the host OS/hypervisor (

4 \text{ GB}

), resulting in a total of

20 \text{ GB}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate total memory required for guest virtual machines

16 GB

Multiplying the 4 virtual machines by 4 GB of RAM per machine yields 16 GB total for guest workloads.

2

Add host hypervisor RAM overhead requirement

20 GB

The hypervisor itself requires 4 GB of system RAM to manage system resources and prevent host memory swapping.

Key Concept

Host RAM sizing and hypervisor overhead allocation

Question 6Question →

A field technician is assembling a custom audio/video workstation. The system components have the following peak power requirements:

- Processor (CPU): $125\text{ W}$
- Dedicated Graphics Card (GPU): $285\text{ W}$
- PCIe Video Capture Card: $30\text{ W}$
- Motherboard, RAM, and cooling system: $70\text{ W}$
- Storage drives: $30\text{ W}$

To ensure stable operation and longevity, company policy specifies that the total power draw of all components must not exceed $80\%$ of the power supply unit's (PSU) rated continuous capacity.

What is the minimum rated capacity, in Watts ( $\text{W}$ ), required for the power supply unit?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 675

Answer

The minimum rated capacity required for the power supply unit is

675\text{ W}

.

The total system power consumption is calculated by summing the requirements of all individual hardware components (

125\text{ W} + 285\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} + 70\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} = 540\text{ W}

). To ensure the system power draw does not exceed

80\%

of the PSU rating, the total draw is divided by

0.80

, resulting in

\frac{540}{0.80} = 675\text{ W}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate total peak power requirement of all workstation components.

125\text{ W} + 285\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} + 70\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} = 540\text{ W}

total power draw.

Before sizing a PSU, all component TDPs and peak power demands must be combined.

2

Calculate the minimum required PSU continuous wattage rating given the

80\%

load limit.

\frac{540\text{ W}}{0.80} = 675\text{ W}

.

Dividing the expected load by

0.80

ensures the power supply operates within its recommended continuous duty cycle without overloading.

Key Concept

Power supply sizing calculations including peak load headroom and maximum load percentages

Question 7Question →

A virtualization administrator is sizing a bare-metal hypervisor host to accommodate 6 web server virtual machines (VMs) and 2 database server VMs running concurrently.

- Each web server VM requires $4\text{ GB}$ of dedicated RAM.
- Each database server VM requires $16\text{ GB}$ of dedicated RAM.
- The hypervisor OS itself requires a baseline memory allocation of $8\text{ GB}$ of RAM for kernel management.
- The hypervisor requires an additional operational memory overhead equal to $5\%$ of the total allocated guest VM RAM.
- Company policy mandates that total active host memory usage must not exceed $80\%$ of total physical installed RAM to prevent host starvation.

What is the minimum total physical RAM, in gigabytes ( $\text{GB}$ ), that must be installed on the host server to satisfy all requirements?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 83.5

Answer

83.5 GB

The correct calculated installed RAM is

83.5\text{ GB}

. Total guest VM allocation is

56\text{ GB}

(

6 \times 4\text{ GB} + 2 \times 16\text{ GB}

). The hypervisor requires

8\text{ GB}

baseline plus

2.8\text{ GB}

(

5\%

of

56\text{ GB}

) overhead, totaling

66.8\text{ GB}

of active memory. To ensure this active memory represents no more than

80\%

of physical capacity, the total physical RAM required is

66.8 / 0.80 = 83.5\text{ GB}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate the total memory requested across all guest virtual machines.

56\text{ GB}

Multiplying 6 web server VMs by

4\text{ GB}

(

24\text{ GB}

) and 2 database VMs by

16\text{ GB}

(

32\text{ GB}

) gives a total guest RAM allocation of

56\text{ GB}

.

2

Determine hypervisor baseline RAM and dynamic hypervisor overhead.

10.8\text{ GB}

The hypervisor baseline is

8\text{ GB}

. The

5\%

overhead on

56\text{ GB}

guest RAM is

0.05 \times 56\text{ GB} = 2.8\text{ GB}

. Total hypervisor requirement is

8\text{ GB} + 2.8\text{ GB} = 10.8\text{ GB}

.

3

Calculate total active memory workload.

66.8\text{ GB}

Combining total guest memory (

56\text{ GB}

) with hypervisor baseline and overhead (

10.8\text{ GB}

) yields

66.8\text{ GB}

of required active memory.

4

Calculate total physical RAM needed to maintain an 80% maximum memory utilization threshold.

83.5\text{ GB}

Dividing total active memory by the maximum utilization factor (

66.8\text{ GB} / 0.80

) yields

83.5\text{ GB}

of installed physical memory required.

Key Concept

Virtual Machine Memory Sizing and Hypervisor Overhead Calculation

Question 8Question →

A systems technician is configuring a video editing workstation. The peak power requirements for the hardware components are as follows:

- Central Processing Unit (CPU): $105\text{ W}$
- Two dedicated PCI Express capture cards: $75\text{ W}$ each
- Motherboard, system RAM, and active cooling fans combined: $85\text{ W}$

To prevent system instability and maintain PSU power efficiency, IT policy dictates incorporating a $25\%$ safety headroom buffer above the total peak component power draw. What is the minimum recommended power supply unit (PSU) output rating, in Watts ( $W$ ), required for this build?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 425

Answer

The minimum recommended power supply unit rating is 425 W.

To determine the required power supply capacity, sum the peak power usage of all individual components:

105\text{ W}

for the CPU,

150\text{ W}

(

2 \times 75\text{ W}

) for the capture cards, and

85\text{ W}

for the motherboard, memory, and fans, giving a total continuous load of

340\text{ W}

. Applying the required

25\%

headroom (

340\text{ W} \times 1.25

) yields

425\text{ W}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate the total baseline wattage requirement of all installed hardware components.

105\text{ W} + (2 \times 75\text{ W}) + 85\text{ W} = 340\text{ W}

total peak draw.

Both expansion cards must be accounted for alongside the CPU and core system components.

2

Apply the mandatory 25% safety headroom buffer to the total baseline wattage.

340\text{ W} \times 1.25 = 425\text{ W}

.

Adding a 25% margin ensures the PSU operates within its ideal efficiency curve and prevents thermal shutdown during power spikes.

Key Concept

Power supply unit (PSU) wattage sizing and safety headroom calculation

Question 9Question →

A system administrator is configuring a bare-metal virtualization host equipped with $64\text{ GB}$ of physical RAM. The hypervisor requires a dedicated allocation of $8\text{ GB}$ of RAM for host management and system overhead. Each virtual machine (VM) deployed on the host requires $4\text{ GB}$ of RAM. Assuming memory overcommitment is not permitted, what is the maximum number of virtual machines that can be concurrently hosted on this server?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 14

Answer

The maximum number of virtual machines that can be concurrently hosted is 14.

To determine the maximum number of virtual machines, host RAM overhead must first be subtracted from the total physical memory.

64\text{ GB} - 8\text{ GB} = 56\text{ GB}

of memory remains available for guest virtual machines. Dividing

56\text{ GB}

by

4\text{ GB}

per VM yields a maximum capacity of 14 VMs.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate the usable RAM available for guest virtual machines

56\text{ GB}

of RAM available (

64\text{ GB} - 8\text{ GB}

)

The hypervisor host requires

8\text{ GB}

reserved for host management and operations, which cannot be assigned to guest VMs.

2

Calculate the maximum number of guest VMs supported

14

virtual machines (

56\text{ GB} / 4\text{ GB}

)

Dividing the remaining

56\text{ GB}

of RAM by the

4\text{ GB}

required per VM yields the maximum VM capacity without overcommitment.

Key Concept

Virtual Machine Resource Allocation and Hypervisor Overhead

Question 10Question →

A systems administrator is planning the hardware provisioning for a hypervisor host system that will run two distinct workloads: $5$ database virtual machines (VMs) allocated $8\text{ GB}$ of RAM each, and $10$ web server VMs allocated $2\text{ GB}$ of RAM each. The host hypervisor operating system requires $4\text{ GB}$ of dedicated physical RAM to operate, and the virtualization platform requires an additional $5\%$ of the total allocated guest RAM for management overhead. What is the minimum total host RAM, in $\text{GB}$ , required to provision all VMs without memory overcommitment?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 67

Answer

The minimum total host RAM required is

67\text{ GB}

.

To accurately provision a virtualization host without overcommitment, technicians must calculate the total memory assigned to guest VMs (

(5 \times 8\text{ GB}) + (10 \times 2\text{ GB}) = 60\text{ GB}

), calculate hypervisor overhead (

5\%

of

60\text{ GB} = 3\text{ GB}

), and include the host OS base requirement (

4\text{ GB}

). Adding these together (

60\text{ GB} + 3\text{ GB} + 4\text{ GB}

) yields a total of

67\text{ GB}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate the total RAM allocated to all guest virtual machines.

5 \times 8\text{ GB} + 10 \times 2\text{ GB} = 40\text{ GB} + 20\text{ GB} = 60\text{ GB}

Each virtual machine requires its assigned memory dedicated from the host pool.

2

Calculate the hypervisor management overhead based on total guest RAM.

5\% \text{ of } 60\text{ GB} = 0.05 \times 60\text{ GB} = 3\text{ GB}

Hypervisors consume additional system memory to track state, manage virtual hardware tables, and handle guest processes.

3

Sum guest RAM, hypervisor overhead, and dedicated host operating system RAM.

60\text{ GB} + 3\text{ GB} + 4\text{ GB} = 67\text{ GB}

Combining guest requirements, overhead, and base host OS usage determines total physical host RAM needed to prevent performance degradation or overcommitment.

Key Concept

Virtual Machine Resource Requirements and Host RAM Capacity Planning

Question 11Question →

A server administrator is planning a hypervisor deployment on a physical host workstation configured with $64\text{ GB}$ of RAM. The host operating system and hypervisor core require a baseline allocation of $8\text{ GB}$ of RAM, and organizational compliance requires reserving an additional $10\%$ of the total physical RAM for hypervisor dynamic overhead and host stability. If each planned guest virtual machine requires $5\text{ GB}$ of dedicated RAM, what is the maximum number of virtual machines that can be concurrently deployed on this host?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 9

Answer

The maximum number of virtual machines that can be hosted concurrently without exceeding host resource limits is 9.

Subtracting both host core memory (

8\text{ GB}

) and dynamic safety overhead (

10\%

of

64\text{ GB} = 6.4\text{ GB}

) leaves

49.6\text{ GB}

of usable RAM for guest workloads. Dividing

49.6\text{ GB}

by

5\text{ GB}

per VM yields

9.92

, which rounds down to 9 fully provisioned virtual machines.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Calculate the host dynamic overhead buffer

10\% \times 64\text{ GB} = 6.4\text{ GB}

Hypervisors require reserved memory overhead beyond the base operating system requirements to manage VM states safely.

2

Calculate total host RAM requirements

8\text{ GB} + 6.4\text{ GB} = 14.4\text{ GB}

Combines base host OS requirement with the mandatory dynamic buffer overhead.

3

Determine total remaining RAM available for guest virtual machines

64\text{ GB} - 14.4\text{ GB} = 49.6\text{ GB}

Deduct host host dependencies from physical RAM capacity.

4

Calculate maximum VM count and floor to whole unit

\lfloor 49.6\text{ GB} / 5\text{ GB} \rfloor = \lfloor 9.92 \rfloor = 9

Virtual machines cannot be provisioned partially; total memory allocation must be fully satisfied per instance.

Key Concept

Virtual Machine Memory Allocation & Host Overhead Capacity Planning

Estimated Time:1m 30s

Question 12Question →

An IT technician is assembling a custom multimedia workstation. The system components have the following peak power draws:

- Central Processing Unit (CPU): $105\text{ W}$
- Motherboard and RAM combined: $45\text{ W}$
- Storage drives: $30\text{ W}$
- PCIe Expansion Video Card: $220\text{ W}$

To ensure system stability, the technician requires a power supply unit (PSU) rated for $25\%$ higher wattage than the calculated total peak power consumption. What is the minimum recommended power supply rating in Watts?

Show answer & explanation

Answer: 500

Answer

The minimum recommended power supply unit rating is 500 Watts.

The total peak consumption of the workstation components is

105\text{ W} + 45\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} + 220\text{ W} = 400\text{ W}

. Applying a

25\%

safety margin (

400\text{ W} \times 1.25

) yields a minimum recommended power supply capacity of

500\text{ W}

.

Step-by-Step Solution

1

Sum the power consumption of all individual hardware components.

105\text{ W} + 45\text{ W} + 30\text{ W} + 220\text{ W} = 400\text{ W}

total peak power draw.

Determining the total combined baseline wattage is required before applying safety margins.

2

Apply the 25% safety buffer multiplier to the total peak wattage.

400\text{ W} \times 1.25 = 500\text{ W}

.

Adding a 20% to 30% headroom margin prevents PSU strain, power spikes, and overheating under maximum thermal loads.

Key Concept

Power supply unit (PSU) wattage calculation and safety headroom buffer.

Estimated Time:45s

Answer

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