Operational Procedures
Free CompTIA A+ (Core 2) practice — 6 questions on Operational Procedures, with explanations. No sign-up. Full 12-question mixed test →
A network administrator submits a change request to upgrade firmware on the core switch during a scheduled maintenance window. The change advisory board reviews and approves the request, and documentation is filed correctly. During the upgrade, the switch loses connectivity to half the network and cannot be quickly returned to its previous working state, causing a prolonged outage. Which missing element of the change management process is the BEST explanation for the extended outage?
A backout (rollback) plan defines exactly how to restore the previous configuration if a change fails. Without one, the technician had no defined method to quickly revert the switch, which is why the outage extended instead of being resolved rapidly.
A file server crashes on Wednesday morning. The organization follows a Grandfather-Father-Son (GFS) rotation: a full backup runs on the last day of each month (Grandfather), a full backup runs every Friday (Father), and incremental backups run Monday through Thursday (Son). The most recent Friday full backup and the Monday and Tuesday incremental backups completed successfully, but Wednesday's incremental never finished due to the crash. Which restore approach correctly recovers data through Tuesday night?
Incremental backups only capture changes since the last backup, so they must be layered on top of the most recent full backup and applied in the order they were created — Monday's changes first, then Tuesday's — to correctly rebuild the data state.
While repairing a user's workstation, a technician discovers what appears to be illicit material stored on the device. Following standard incident response procedure for a suspected policy or legal violation, what should the technician do FIRST?
First-response procedure requires preserving evidence and chain of custody by not altering the device further, then escalating to a supervisor, legal, or law enforcement as appropriate — the technician should never independently investigate or act on the finding.
A hospital's billing system stores patient names, diagnosis codes, and treatment history. Which classification applies to this data, and which regulation primarily governs its protection in the United States?
Names combined with diagnosis and treatment information constitute Protected Health Information (PHI), which is governed in the U.S. by HIPAA, the regulation specifically covering healthcare data privacy and security.
A user opens an email attachment named invoice.vbs, and shortly afterward, files on the shared network drive are renamed with a .locked extension. Which characteristic of VBScript files makes them a common vector for this kind of attack?
VBScript (.vbs) files run natively through the Windows Script Host (wscript.exe/cscript.exe) without needing to be compiled, and attackers commonly disguise them with names like invoice.pdf.vbs so Windows' hidden file extension setting shows only 'invoice.pdf' to the user, tricking them into execution.
While replacing a power supply, a technician notices smoke and small flames coming from the wall outlet wiring, and the equipment is still energized. Which class of fire extinguisher should the technician use?
Class C extinguishers are rated for electrical fires involving energized equipment; they use a non-conductive agent, making them safe to use without risk of electric shock.
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