CompTIA Cloud+ Practice Test

The administrator of virtual infrastructure needs to provision block storage for a virtual machine on which a business critical application will be installed. Considering performance, which of the following describes how the administrator should attach the storage to the VM?

1. Using NFS

2. Using CIFS

3. Using IPv6

4. Using iSCSI

The correct answer is: Using iSCSI

Attaching the storage to the virtual machine via iSCSI is optimal for performance in scenarios involving business-critical applications. iSCSI (Internet Small Computer Systems Interface) allows for the linking of storage devices over IP networks, providing block-level access. This means that the virtual machine can interact with the storage as if it were a local drive, resulting in lower latency and better throughput compared to file-level protocols. In a virtual infrastructure, performance is key, especially for applications that require fast data access and low response times. iSCSI allows you to take advantage of high-speed network connections, which can be crucial for applications that need rapid read and write capabilities. While NFS (Network File System) and CIFS (Common Internet File System) are commonly used for file sharing, they operate at the file level rather than the block level, leading to additional overhead and potential performance bottlenecks for demanding applications. On the other hand, IPv6 is a networking protocol and does not pertain to storage provisioning. Thus, for block storage provisioning with an emphasis on performance in a virtual environment, iSCSI is the most appropriate choice.