DRI Disaster Recovery Strategies & Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which backup method copies ONLY the files that have changed since the last full backup and resets the archive bit after each run?
- Differential backup
- Incremental backup (Correct answer)
- Mirror backup
- Snapshot backup
Correct answer: Incremental backup
Incremental backups capture only changes since the last backup of any type and clear the archive bit, resulting in smaller, faster backups but longer restore times.
Question 2: The 3-2-1 backup rule specifies keeping three copies of data on two different media with:
- One copy encrypted
- One copy offsite (Correct answer)
- One copy tested monthly
- One copy in the cloud only
Correct answer: One copy offsite
The 3-2-1 rule requires three copies of data, stored on two different media types, with one copy maintained offsite to protect against localized disasters.
Question 3: Which DR strategy is MOST appropriate for a non-critical system with an RTO of 72 hours and a very limited budget?
- Hot site
- Warm site
- Cold site (Correct answer)
- Synchronous replication
Correct answer: Cold site
A cold site provides basic infrastructure (power, space, connectivity) with no pre-installed equipment, making it the lowest-cost option suitable for non-critical systems with long RTOs.
Question 4: In a parallel test, what distinguishes it from a full interruption test?
- Parallel tests use simulated data only
- Parallel tests activate DR systems without shutting down the primary environment (Correct answer)
- Parallel tests are conducted offsite
- Parallel tests do not involve IT staff
Correct answer: Parallel tests activate DR systems without shutting down the primary environment
A parallel test brings DR systems online and verifies they can process workloads while the primary site continues normal operations, unlike a full interruption test that shuts the primary site down.
Question 5: What is the key risk of using asynchronous replication compared to synchronous replication?
- Higher network latency on primary transactions
- Potential data loss between the last sync and the failure event (Correct answer)
- Inability to replicate across geographic distances
- Requirement for identical hardware at both sites
Correct answer: Potential data loss between the last sync and the failure event
Asynchronous replication acknowledges writes on the primary before confirming them on the secondary, meaning a failure can result in loss of the data that was in-flight at the time of the outage.
Question 6: A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) is used in DR planning primarily to:
- Write the disaster recovery plan document
- Identify critical business functions and quantify the impact of their disruption (Correct answer)
- Select the DR site vendor
- Train recovery team members on their roles
Correct answer: Identify critical business functions and quantify the impact of their disruption
The BIA identifies which business processes are most critical, quantifies the financial and operational impact of their disruption, and establishes RTO and RPO targets.
Question 7: Which term describes the documented, step-by-step instructions recovery teams follow to restore specific systems during a disaster?
- Business Continuity Plan
- Recovery procedures (Correct answer)
- Crisis communications plan
- Risk register
Correct answer: Recovery procedures
Recovery procedures are the detailed, system-specific technical runbooks that guide recovery teams through restoring infrastructure and applications during an actual disaster.
DRI Disaster Recovery Strategies & Techniques 3
Which backup method copies ONLY the files that have changed since the last full backup and resets the archive bit after each run?