Question

Difficulty: EasyPatch Management and Software Maintenance

A network administrator is preparing to perform a routine firmware update on enterprise network switches during a scheduled maintenance window. Which TWO of the following tasks should be completed prior to deploying the patch to the production environment? (Select TWO.)

  1. Test the firmware update in an isolated lab or staging environment.Answer
  2. Create a baseline backup of the current operating system image and configuration file.Answer
  3. C
    Deploy the update immediately to all production devices without prior testing to minimize vulnerability exposure.
  4. D
    Perform a full system restoration using only an incremental backup file before initiating the update.

Answer

The administrator should test the firmware update in an isolated lab environment and create a baseline backup of the current configuration and operating system image prior to production deployment.
Before deploying patches to production, administrators must test updates in a lab or staging environment to identify potential operational issues and back up active configurations and system software to allow for rapid rollback if failure occurs.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify risk mitigation steps prior to software deployment.
Staging in a lab environment verifies patch stability, and creating a configuration backup provides a rollback mechanism.
Best practices in patch management require pre-deployment testing and rollback preparation before applying changes to production equipment.

Key Concept

Best practices for network patch management and maintenance window planning.
Estimated Time:45s
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