INWT 125 KEY TERMS

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST develops cybersecurity standards, guidelines, best practices, and other resources to meet the needs of U.S. industry, federal agencies and the broader public.

Serverless Computing; key point 1

No Server Management: With serverless, developers don't need to deal with server provisioning, maintenance, or scaling. The cloud provider handles all of this behind the scenes.

Skills and duties of a Cloud Administrator

One of the primary skills and duties of a cloud administrator is to troubleshoot problems with cloud services and data access. It is important to have a methodology for troubleshooting. You should also recognize that troubleshooting methods may change by situation, by skill level, and by experience with the cloud environment.

Concerning cloud security in the IaaS model, which of the following are the responsibility of the customer? (Select all that apply.)

Operating system Identity management

An administrator is configuring virtual servers for a help desk department. All servers will operate using virtualization and require the exact same level of compute power, memory, and applications. What would be the most efficient and consistent means of deploying the needed configurations?

VM templates because: An administrator may deploy virtual machines using templates. VM Templates reduce the confusion, misconfiguration, and cost associated with manually created VMs by providing standardized VM configurations. Templates could quickly and consistently spin the workstations up.

A server technician has been diligently troubleshooting a critical service that crashed. They isolated the issue and implemented a possible resolution. What next step should the technician perform?

Verify full system functionality because: Once the potential solution has been implemented, the next phase is to test for functionality. Your goal is to ensure that the service or web application has returned to the established service levels.

Virtualization

Virtualization is the process of creating a simulation of a computing environment, where the virtualized system can simulate the hardware, operating system, and applications of a typical computer without being a separate physical computer.

Applications

With cloud applications, the installation and processing occur in the cloud, rather than on local workstations or servers. The cloud may be a private or public network. The applications are accessed over the network. One advantage of cloud applications is a consistent experience for all users, whether they use the same workstation platform (Windows, Linux, macOS) or mobile device (Android or IOS).

Steps in a troubleshooting methodology

1)Identify the problem. 2)Determine the scope of the problem. 3)Establish a theory of probable cause, or question the obvious. 4)Test the theory to determine the cause. 5)Establish a plan of action. 6)Implement the solution, or escalate. 7)Verify full system functionality. 8)Implement preventive measures. 9)Perform a root cause analysis. 10)Document findings, actions, and outcomes throughout the process.

NIST definition, cloud computing has five essential characteristics:

NIST definition, cloud computing has five essential characteristics: On-demand self-service: Users can acquire the service independently, without human intervention. Broad network access: The service is available over the network and can be accessed through different devices. Resource pooling: The same resources can be shared by multiple users. Rapid elasticity: The service can scale up or down quickly according to demand. Measured service: The service usage is monitored and billed accordingly.

Serverless Computing; Top Cloud Providers

Leading cloud providers, including Amazon Web Services (AWS Lambda), Microsoft Azure (Azure Functions), Google Cloud (Google Cloud Functions), and IBM Cloud Code Engine, offer serverless platforms. These technologies, along with microservices and containers, form the core of cloud-native application development

An IT support manager for a small company needs to provide some basic functions for their company but is running minimal staff with limited skills. Which of the following solutions would be applicable solutions?

MSPs and SaaS because: With Software as a Service (SaaS), responsibility for the hardware where that software runs, the operating system upon which it runs, and the installation and patching of the software itself are all offloaded to the Cloud Service Provider (CSP). Managed service providers (MSPs) are independent of the CSP. Your organization may choose to outsource cloud design, migration, deployment, and management solutions to these companies, relying on their expertise and experience.

MSP

Managed Service Provider

Public Cloud

Multitenancy is the concept behind public cloud deployments. Multiple consumers, known as tenants, share computing resources owned and managed by the CSP.

Subscription Service

A cloud pricing model where users prepay for access to cloud resources for a specified period of time.

Identity Management

A security process that provides identification, authentication, and authorization mechanisms for users, computers, and other entities to work with organizational assets like networks, operating systems, and applications.

(VM) Virtual Machine

A virtual machine is a guest operating system installed on a host computer using virtualization software (a hypervisor), such as Microsoft Hyper-V or VMware. VMs are a key component of cloud-based IaaS services, such as AWS EC2 or Azure Virtual Machines.

VM Template

A virtual machine template is a master copy of a virtual machine that usually includes the guest OS, a set of applications, and a specific VM configuration. Virtual machine templates are used when you need to deploy many VMs and ensure that they are consistent and standardized.

NIC

A virtual network interface card (vNIC) is a software-based networking component that allows virtual machines (VMs) and other virtual devices to communicate with each other and with physical networks1.

A network administrator is configuring a series of virtual servers. The administrator provisions resources so that additional memory is available daily during a four-hour period. Which solution would best accommodate this provision?

Auto-scaling because: Auto-scaling adjusts the compute capabilities of instances dynamically to match the current workload. Generally speaking, auto-scaling is for workloads that anticipate frequent changes.

Auto-scaling

Auto-scaling takes advantage of automated deployments and virtualization to provide the appropriate resources for the current demand. Resources can be scaled up or down to manage costs.

CSP

Cloud Service Provider

A real estate accounting company would like to migrate its operation to the cloud but has expressed reservations regarding security. A member of the executive suite suggests a collective organization formed in conjunction with several similar companies that have collectively deployed a cloud-based environment. Each member company maintains cloud access. Which of the following is the executive describing?

Community Cloud

An administrator is testing the deployment of a recent software update. The administrator would like to test the update from a single workstation with a premade configuration. What is the administrator most likely utilizing for this test?

Container

Containers/Containerization

Containerization is a form of virtualization, but it is significantly different than VMs. Containers virtualize at the OS layer, rather than the hardware layer. A container holds a single application and everything it needs to run. Containers are very lightweight, share a single OS (usually Linux), and provide a single function. GCP, Azure, and AWS all offer cloud-based container services.

A server administrator is architecting a cloud-based solution for a company with various development projects and application dependencies. The administrator needs to ensure that applications can be deployed quickly and reliably, with minimal dependencies on the underlying system. Which of the following solutions would be most applicable?

Containers because: Containers virtualize at the OS layer rather than the hardware layer. A container holds a single application and everything it needs to run.

A tier 1 support technician has been holding a support ticket for a system problem for an hour and has only identified the problem. Company policy requires tier 1 support tickets to escalate after an hour if the technician cannot resolve the problem. After escalating the ticket, what would the tier 2 technician do next?

Determine the scope of the problem because: Determine the scope of the problem after identifying it. Figure out if the problem affects one user or many, one system or others. This information will help establish a theory of probable cause.

Troubleshooting

Determine whether the problem exists for only one user, or whether it exists for multiple users, and/or multiple branches. determining whether cloud service interruptions exist at multiple locations or just a single location will help determine the scope of the problem such as network-based or software-based, but both may affect multiple users.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting often begins with very simple steps, such as confirming that a given service is started. More complex problems may require you to examine log files, talk to users or other administrators, or check hardware, is there a recent software change or new service configuration.

A software development company seeks recommendations for streamlining its internal learning management system. The organization requires a solution that eliminates the management overhead of local and cloud server infrastructure, while only paying for compute resources directly associated with the LMS. Which solution would be most appropriate for the company to adopt?

Employ a FaaS solution because: Function as a Service (FaaS) allows the company to offload the responsibility for compute resources to a cloud service provider. FaaS is an event-driven execution model where the cloud provider is responsible for the servers, and the company only pays for the compute time used during function execution. This aligns, intending to reduce the number of physical servers while still enabling mass data storage.

A cloud administrator is troubleshooting a virtual server that has lost its connection to the network. Having updated the drivers and checked for software conflicts without resolving the error, the administrator proceeds to conduct a direct diagnostic test on the virtual NIC by using network diagnostic tools and monitoring the virtual infrastructure's performance metrics. The diagnostics conclusively show a failure in the physical network adapter that supports the virtual NIC, as indicated by consistent packet loss and physical port errors that are not present when testing other virtual servers connected to the same physical network infrastructure. What is the next step according to the CompTIA troubleshooting methodology?

Establish a plan

A server technician receives multiple complaints from users with varying permissions that a critical resource is inaccessible. What troubleshooting step should the technician perform next?

Establish theory of probable cause

Serverless Computing; key point 2

Event-Driven Execution: Serverless platforms execute code in response to specific events or requests. For example, when a user uploads a file or triggers an API call, the associated code runs automatically.

FaaS

Function as a Service: allows cloud service providers to physical hardware, virtual machine, operating system, and web server software management allowing customers to develop, run, and manage application functionalities.

A user has lost account access to the cloud. The CSP dispatched a technician to address the issue. The technician diagnoses that the user's account information expired and the technician needed to reset it. Following the reset, what should the technician do next?

Have the user test the login because: The user testing the new login credentials is performing a verification of the system's functionality. This is to ensure that the solution implementation worked as intended.

A finance company would like to implement a customer relationship management solution that provides flexible resource utilization while maintaining the best possible security for client PII. Which of the following options would protect that segment of data while remaining cost-conscious?

Hybrid because: Hybrid clouds pull varying elements of different cloud models. Organizations may store private or more sensitive data in a private cloud but deploy a public cloud for customer services, as would be the case here.

Hyperconvergence

Hyperconverged cloud solutions combine compute, storage, and network resources into a single component. The goal is to reduce complexity and increase scalability. With hyperconvergence, the compute, storage, and network resources are inseparable and managed as a single unit.

What process controls the access to resources on a cloud platform?

Identity management because: Identity management is the process by which identities are established, and access to resources is controlled. Users are assigned an account and are assigned rights and restrictions enforced by access control systems such as permissions.

Troubleshooting

If it worked yesterday, and it doesn't work today, what changed? Investigating recent changes to the network or service infrastructures is a good place to begin troubleshooting. Consider non-infrastructure and non-IT changes, such as environmental, location, or facility changes, such as electrical systems, HVAC, or physical security.

A systems administrator responded to an important web service crashing. They analyzed logs to determine the issue, restarted the service, and were able to verify system functionality. What is the next step the administrator should take?

Implement preventative measures

An IT technician is revisiting an issue that was previously marked as resolved a week prior by a different technician. The cause and resolution of the issue were documented. Considering the issue has recurred, what could the previous technician have done additionally to ensure a more enduring resolution?

Implement preventive measures to mitigate future recurrences.

When following troubleshooting methodology, which step takes place after establishing an action plan but before verifying that function has returned to the system?

Implement the solution or escalate

Troubleshooting

In troubleshooting it is very useful to attempt to replicate the problem by asking users to show you what they were doing when the problem was encountered or to try to recreate the situation where the problem first arose.

IooT

Inernet of Things

IaaS

Infrastructure as a Service

ISP

Internet Service Provider

A cloud technician receives a complaint that one employee cannot access certain cloud resources. The scope of the problem is limited to this particular user. Which of the following troubleshooting steps should the technician try next?

Investigate and determine how the user's access has changed because: Establishing a theory of probable cause is a good first step. It comes after determining the scope of the problem and allows support staff to understand how the user lost access to resources.

Serverless Computing; key point 4

Invisible Servers: Despite the name, servers do exist in serverless computing. However, they are invisible to developers. Cloud providers manage them, and developers interact with the code layer without worrying about server details.

Troubleshooting

It is a good practice to back up data if there is any risk to the data during the troubleshooting phase. Data and services may be replicated throughout the CSP's environment, making backups less essential.

An organization has tasked a systems administrator with configuring a series of workstations that a technical team will operate. The administrator has concerns with availability failures due to lacking resources during high traffic windows. What can the administrator do to help preemptively address this?

Over-provision resources from idle servers because: The administrator could over-provision the projected needed resources to help offset any dropoffs. Provisioning refers to the allocation of cloud resources in the overall enterprise infrastructure. The administrator should however consider the current functions of idle servers, as some may be deliberately maintained in a backup state.

Serverless Computing; key point 3

Pay-as-You-Go Billing: Developers are billed based on actual execution time and resources used. There's no cost for idle capacity—resources are provisioned only when the code runs.

PaaS

Platform as a Service

Post-deployment Validation

Post-deployment validation ensures that deployed apps or services meet required service levels. Depending on the service, this may be handled through regression or functionality testing. If possible, automate post-deployment validation for efficiency and consistency.

A marketing agency wants to deploy a cloud platform model that allows tenants to share computing resources owned and managed by the CSP. What cloud deployment model is associated with multitenancy?

Public Multitenancy is the concept behind public cloud deployments. Multiple consumers, known as tenants, share computing resources owned and managed by the CSP.

A cloud administrator just joined a new organization and is attempting to implement a common service. Which of the following would best help them implement the service?

SOPs becase: Standard operating procedures (SOPs) govern how particular tasks are to be accomplished, and such procedures should be followed during troubleshooting. SOPs are created for common tasks.

Serverless Computing

Serverless computing is an application development and execution model that enables developers to build and run application code without provisioning or managing servers or backend infrastructure. In other words, it allows developers to focus solely on writing the best front-end application code and business logic, without worrying about the underlying server setup.

If a CSP were to experience a significant service outage that resulted in organizational revenue losses, which document would assist the organization in determining the eligibility for a reduction in service fees?

Service Level Agreement (SLA) because: SLA defines service requirements and expectations between a CSP and its customers. A service provider failing to uphold a contractual agreement could result in a claim for compensation for lost revenue.

Serverless Computing; key point 5

Services Beyond FaaS: While Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) is central to serverless, serverless computing encompasses more than just FaaS. It includes services like serverless databases, storage, and other event-driven components.

A company is migrating to a web-based file sharing application to help transition its in-office departments to a primarily remote setup. What type of solution is the company installing?

Software as a Service (SaaS) because: SaaS has access to the software, but the vendor maintains the installation, maintenance, patching, and upgrade responsibilities.

When configuring a network storage system for a company-wide function, which document should serve as a primary reference to effectively manage the project while also remaining compliant with company policy?

Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) because: SOPs document detailed instructions for task completion. These instructions are clear enough for all organizational members to follow and produce consistent results. Administrators should always consult the SOPs when performing operational tasks.

SOP

Standard Operating Proceedure

STaas

Storage as a Service

IoT (Internet of Things)

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of physical devices, vehicles, appliances, and other physical objects that are embedded with sensors, software, and network connectivity, allowing them to collect and share data.

Over-provision resources from idle servers

The administrator has concerns with availability failures due to lacking resources during high traffic windows so they over-provision resources from idle servers.

Provisioning

The process of deploying an application to the target environment, such as enterprise desktops, mobile devices, or cloud infrastructure. Allocation of cloud resources in the overall enterprise infrastructure.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

The science of creating machines with the ability to develop problem solving and analysis strategies without significant human direction or intervention. Artificial intelligence (AI) is concerned with simulating human intelligence by providing structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data and solving complex problems. AI accomplishes this by using a set of rules to manage its analysis

A user submitted a support ticket stating that their team is unable to access shared folders. When troubleshooting the issue, which of the following would be examples of identifying the problem rather than its scope? (Select all that apply.)

The virtual host lost connection to network storage. The virtual machine is powered off.

Hard Drive Data Cables

There are three main types of hard drive data cables: - IDE/PATA - SATA - SCSI