D-PSC-MN-01 Sample Questions & Answers
Expect questions on PowerScale's architectural components and networking, FRU maintenance procedures and node preparation, site preparation and rack installation planning, and cluster creation with alternative node configurations.
Launch the full D-PSC-MN-01 simulator →Showing 10 of 20 free samples.
- Question 1AdvancedSelect 3
PowerScale Implementation · Differentiate between the upgrade activities
A systems engineer is preparing to perform a major OneFS upgrade on a production PowerScale cluster from version 9.4.x to 9.8.x. The cluster consists of both Gen 6 and Gen 6.5 nodes. To minimize risk and ensure a successful rolling upgrade, which THREE of the following pre-upgrade checks are mandatory? (Select THREE)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answers: A, B, E
- Question 2Advanced
PowerScale Hardware Installation · Plan the installation
An installation engineer arrives at a customer site to deploy a new PowerScale cluster. The engineer has a set of SolVe-generated documents that detail a standard installation in Rack 10, with power drawn from PDUs A and B. However, the customer provides a recently updated Product Evaluation Questionnaire (PEQ) which states that due to a last-minute data center change, Rack 10 is no longer available and the cluster must be installed in Rack 15. The PEQ also specifies that Rack 15's PDUs C and D are fed from a different power circuit with a lower amperage rating than originally planned for Rack 10.
Given this discrepancy between the formal SolVe plan and the customer's on-site PEQ, what is the most critical validation step the engineer must perform before physically racking any of the PowerScale nodes?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
This is the most critical step. The PEQ explicitly states a change to a lower-rated power circuit. The primary risk is that the new circuit cannot handle the maximum power draw of the PowerScale cluster, leading to tripped breakers, power failure, and potential hardware damage. The engineer must halt the installation and validate that the power infrastructure in Rack 15 is sufficient before proceeding with any physical racking. All other checks are secondary to this fundamental power and safety requirement.
- Question 3Intermediate
PowerScale Hardware Concepts · Set up PowerScale networking
A technician is cabling a new PowerScale node into a rack that contains two redundant backend InfiniBand or Ethernet switches (Switch 1 and Switch 2) for internal cluster communication, and two redundant front-end Ethernet switches (Switch A and Switch B) for client access. To ensure maximum network resiliency and high availability according to Dell's best practices, how should the node's network ports be connected?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
This configuration provides full redundancy. The loss of any single switch (either backend or front-end) will not cause the node to lose connectivity. Each network type (backend and front-end) has a connection to each of its respective redundant switches, which is the standard best practice for ensuring high availability.
graph TD subgraph Node B1[Backend Port 1] B2[Backend Port 2] F1[Front-end Port 1] F2[Front-end Port 2] end subgraph Backend Switches BS1[Backend Switch 1] BS2[Backend Switch 2] end subgraph Front-end Switches FS_A[Front-end Switch A] FS_B[Front-end Switch B] end B1 --> BS1 B2 --> BS2 F1 --> FS_A F2 --> FS_B - Question 4Intermediate
PowerScale Hardware Maintenance · Process an incoming FRU request
A maintenance engineer is tasked with replacing a faulty Battery Backup Unit (BBU) in a PowerScale Gen 6.5 node that has reported a critical hardware alert. After physically swapping the FRU, which CLI command should the engineer use to specifically verify the status, charge level, and health of the newly installed BBU?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
The
isi_get_bbu_statuscommand is the specific utility designed to query and display detailed information about the Battery Backup Unit, including its charge state, health, and firmware. Whileisi_hw_statusprovides a general overview of hardware, it does not offer the same level of detail for the BBU.isi devicesis for managing drives, andisi_radishis for checking the journal's state, not BBU status. - Question 5Advanced
PowerScale Implementation · Differentiate between the upgrade activities
During a pre-upgrade health check for a move to OneFS 9.8, an administrator's script flags several nodes for having outdated NIC firmware, which is below the minimum version required in the PowerScale Supportability and Compatibility Guide. The upgrade process has been halted. Which sequence of actions is the correct way to remediate this issue before resuming the OneFS upgrade?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
The correct procedure is to pause the OneFS upgrade and address the firmware dependency separately. This involves obtaining the correct Node Firmware Package (NFP) and applying it to bring the NICs up to the required level. OneFS upgrades do not automatically include all component firmware and proceeding without meeting prerequisites can cause instability or failure. Updating firmware simultaneously before resuming the upgrade is the standard, prescribed method.
- Question 6Intermediate
PowerScale Hardware Maintenance · Process an incoming CRU request
True or False: After replacing a failed boot drive (CRU) in a PowerScale node, the node will automatically reimage itself from a healthy peer node in the cluster upon reboot without requiring any manual intervention from the serial console.
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
This statement is false. After a boot drive replacement, the node's boot media is blank. An administrator must connect to the node via the serial console during boot-up and manually select the option to reimage the node from the cluster. The process is not fully automatic and requires explicit user action to initiate.
- Question 7IntermediateSelect 3
PowerScale Hardware Concepts · Set up PowerScale networking
An administrator is creating a new network pool within an existing Groupnet to isolate traffic for a new workflow. Which of the following configuration parameters are mandatory to define a basic, functional network pool? (Select THREE)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answers: A, B, D
- Question 8Beginner
PowerScale Implementation · Differentiate procedures for joining nodes to a cluster
A technician is tasked with permanently decommissioning a PowerScale node from a production cluster. To ensure all data is evacuated from the node without causing data unavailability, the technician must initiate the SmartFail process. Which is the correct command to begin this process for node number 5?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
The
isi devices node smartfailcommand is the correct and safe method to logically remove a node from the cluster. It initiates a process where OneFS reprotects all the data from the target node onto other nodes before the target node is marked as fully removed. Using--node-lnnspecifies the Logical Node Number to be smartfailed. - Question 9Beginner
PowerScale Hardware Installation · Prepare the site for maintenance
An engineer is unboxing and racking new PowerScale nodes at a customer site. According to Dell's standard installation procedures, what is a critical physical verification step that must be performed on the node's internal components after removing the top cover but before applying power for the first time?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: A
Components such as DIMMs and PCIe risers can become dislodged during shipping. A standard and critical part of the installation process is to open the chassis and visually and physically inspect these components to ensure they are firmly seated in their sockets. Failure to do so can lead to boot failures or unstable operation.
- Question 10Advanced
PowerScale Hardware Maintenance · Process an incoming FRU request
A systems administrator needs to replace a failed journal drive on a PowerScale node. To ensure data integrity, the node's journal must be moved to another available drive before the failed drive can be physically replaced. The command to perform this action is
isi_____.Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
The
isi_radishcommand is the utility used to manage the journal. The-mflag is used to move the journal from its current location to another suitable drive within the node. This is a critical step before replacing a failed journal drive to prevent data loss and ensure a clean shutdown of journaling services.
Ready for the real thing?
The full D-PSC-MN-01 simulator has every exam-style question, timed mode, and instant scoring.