IBM C1000-172 IBM Cloud Professional Architect v6 Exam Practice Test

Answer : A

IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Crypto Services is the correct service to use for encrypting IBM Cloud Kubernetes Service secrets and the etcd store with the organization's own root keys on FIPS 140-2 Level 4-certified hardware.

IBM Cloud Hyper Protect Crypto Services: This service provides a highly secure key management system and supports encryption operations using FIPS 140-2 Level 4-certified hardware. It ensures that the keys used to encrypt data never leave the secure boundary of the Hardware Security Module (HSM), which meets the highest level of security certification (Level 4).

Use Case Suitability: For organizations needing to meet stringent regulatory and compliance requirements (such as those demanding FIPS 140-2 Level 4 certification), Hyper Protect Crypto Services offers the necessary security controls to protect Kubernetes secrets and other sensitive data.

Reference from IBM Cloud Professional Architect Materials:

The IBM documentation on Hyper Protect Crypto Services confirms that it uses FIPS 140-2 Level 4-certified hardware, making it the correct choice for this requirement.

Other options are incorrect:

B . IBM Cloud Secrets Manager and C. IBM Cloud Key Protect do not utilize FIPS 140-2 Level 4-certified hardware.

D . IBM Cloud Managed Encryption Services is not a specific service related to the required encryption hardware.

Answer : C

IBM Cloud Transit Gateway provides network connectivity between different IBM Cloud Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs). It allows for secure, scalable, and efficient communication between resources deployed in separate VPCs, whether they are within the same region or across different regions.

How Transit Gateway Works: It acts as a central hub that facilitates the routing of traffic between multiple VPCs without the need to configure individual VPC peering connections. This simplifies network management, improves scalability, and enhances security by maintaining a single point of control.

Benefits of Transit Gateway: This service supports both private and public connectivity options and allows for routing policies that can be customized according to business needs. It also provides seamless integration with other IBM Cloud services and third-party networks.

Comparison of Other Options:

Domain Name System (A): Not used for network connectivity between VPCs.

Direct Link (B): Used for dedicated, high-speed connections from on-premises to IBM Cloud but not between VPCs.

Power Edge Router (D): Not an IBM Cloud service for inter-VPC connectivity.

IBM Cloud Transit Gateway Documentation

IBM Cloud Networking Solutions

IBM Cloud Architect Exam Study Guide

Answer : A

Bare Metal Servers on IBM Cloud provide the required physical isolation, regulatory benefits, and control over the software stack, making them ideal for moving Windows applications quickly without changing the architecture. Bare Metal Servers offer dedicated hardware resources, full control over the server environment, and the ability to configure and manage the software stack, meeting the company's needs for physical isolation and performance.

Why Bare Metal Servers? They provide the highest level of performance, security, and customization, including control over the operating system and applications, which is essential for regulatory compliance and quality of service.

Physical Isolation: Bare Metal Servers are single-tenant servers, meaning they are not shared with other customers, providing physical isolation required for specific regulatory needs.

Comparison with Other Options:

z16 (B) and Power (C) are specialized platforms for different workloads, not necessarily suited for general-purpose Windows applications.

Virtual Servers (D): Provide virtualization but do not offer the same level of control and physical isolation as Bare Metal Servers.

IBM Cloud Bare Metal Servers

IBM Cloud Architect Exam Study Guide

Answer : D

An IBM Cloud multizone region (MZR) is designed to enhance the availability, reliability, and resilience of cloud services. It consists of three or more separate, geographically dispersed zones within a single region, which are interconnected through high-speed and low-latency networks.

Multiple Zones for High Availability: In a multizone region, each zone represents a separate data center or availability zone with its own independent power, cooling, and networking. The multiple zones are interconnected, allowing for failover capabilities. If one zone experiences a failure, services can continue to operate in another zone within the same MZR, minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity.

Resilience and Disaster Recovery: MZRs are specifically designed to offer a higher level of fault tolerance compared to single-zone regions. They provide geographic redundancy within the same region, meaning that workloads can be replicated across different zones, thereby protecting against zone-level failures.

Interconnected Yet Independent: While the zones within an MZR are interconnected for data replication and low-latency communication, they are also physically and logically separated to prevent a single point of failure from affecting multiple zones.

Comparison with Other Options:

Option A is partially correct but does not fully describe an MZR.

Option B is incorrect because a failure in one zone does not affect all other zones.

Option C is incorrect as it does not specify that an MZR consists of multiple zones within the same geographical region.

IBM Cloud Multizone Regions (MZR) Overview

IBM Cloud Architect Exam Study Guide

IBM Cloud Global Data Center Locations

Answer : B

In Infrastructure as Code (IaC) using IBM Cloud Schematics, a declarative approach defines the 'end state' or 'desired state' of the infrastructure.

Declarative Approach: In the declarative model, you specify the final desired state of the infrastructure you want, and the IaC tool (IBM Cloud Schematics in this case) takes the responsibility of determining the sequence of steps necessary to achieve that state. This is opposed to an imperative approach, where you explicitly define each step required to reach the desired outcome.

IBM Cloud Schematics: IBM Cloud Schematics is a tool that allows users to define their infrastructure and services as code using Terraform. In a declarative approach, the user creates Terraform configuration files that describe the desired state of all resources, like VMs, networks, databases, etc. Schematics then reconciles the current state with the desired state by applying the appropriate changes.

Reference from IBM Cloud Professional Architect Materials:

According to IBM documentation on IBM Cloud Schematics, it focuses on defining the desired state (end state) of the resources. This is a fundamental concept of Infrastructure as Code (IaC) and the declarative approach in cloud computing.

The other options do not accurately describe the declarative approach:

A . Future state is too vague and not a recognized term in the context of IaC.

C . Declarative state is not a defined term in the IaC context.

D . Start state refers to the initial configuration, not the desired outcome.

Answer : C

IBM Cloud follows the FedRAMP (Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program) to ensure its services meet the security and compliance standards of the US government.

FedRAMP: It is a U.S. government-wide program that provides a standardized approach to security assessment, authorization, and continuous monitoring for cloud products and services. FedRAMP authorization is mandatory for any cloud services used by federal agencies, ensuring they meet strict security requirements.

IBM Cloud Compliance: IBM Cloud adheres to FedRAMP standards to provide its services to government agencies, ensuring that its cloud solutions meet stringent security and compliance requirements, as documented in IBM's FedRAMP Certification.

Why Other Options are Incorrect:

A . CIS (Center for Internet Security) and B. NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) are frameworks and standards organizations but not specific programs like FedRAMP.

D . FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standards) defines security and interoperability standards but does not pertain to the overall authorization of cloud services.

Answer : D

The main advantage of using IBM Code Engine over traditional server provisioning is greater scalability.

IBM Code Engine: It is a fully managed, serverless platform that automatically scales up or down based on the workload demand. Unlike traditional server provisioning, which requires manual configuration and scaling of resources, IBM Code Engine dynamically adjusts the compute capacity, allowing applications to handle variable loads efficiently.

Scalability Advantage: IBM Code Engine's serverless architecture eliminates the need for pre-provisioning servers, thus avoiding over-provisioning or under-provisioning issues. It can automatically scale from zero to thousands of instances based on demand, making it highly efficient for scaling applications.

Reference from IBM Cloud Professional Architect Materials:

According to IBM documentation on IBM Code Engine, it provides a serverless experience with automatic scaling, where the platform handles all the provisioning, scaling, and management of resources.

The other options are incorrect:

A . Lower latency may be a benefit, but it's not the main advantage.

B . Better load balancing is part of scalability but not the primary advantage over traditional provisioning.

C . Higher security could be a benefit but isn't specific to IBM Code Engine's main advantage over server provisioning.