NCA-AIIO Practice Questions: Troubleshooting and Maintenance Domain

Published: June 12, 2025 | 5 min read

Test your NCA-AIIO knowledge with 5 practice questions from the Deployment and Operations domain. Includes detailed explanations and answers.

NCA-AIIO Practice Questions

Master Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Advanced Troubleshooting Skills: Effective troubleshooting requires understanding all infrastructure layers. Complete our Hardware and System Architecture and Deployment and Operations practice questions first, then review our Complete NCA-AIIO Study Guide.

Master Troubleshooting and Maintenance with practice questions covering diagnostic procedures, root cause analysis, preventive maintenance, and incident response for AI infrastructure systems.

Diagnostic Integration

Troubleshooting effectiveness depends on performance monitoring. Use insights from our Performance Optimization and Monitoring practice questions to understand the metrics and tools essential for effective diagnostics.

Question 1: GPU Failure Diagnosis

A GPU shows intermittent errors during AI training jobs. Which diagnostic approach should be performed first to identify the root cause?

A) Replace the GPU immediately

B) Check thermal sensors and power delivery logs

C) Reinstall CUDA drivers

D) Run stress tests only

Show Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: Intermittent GPU errors are often caused by thermal throttling or power instability. Checking environmental conditions first helps identify root causes before hardware replacement. This diagnostic approach builds on the hardware knowledge from our Hardware and System Architecture practice questions.

Question 2: Network Connectivity Issues

During distributed training, nodes experience sporadic communication failures. What is the most systematic approach to diagnose this issue?

A) Restart all training jobs

B) Test connectivity layer by layer: physical, network, application

C) Replace network switches

D) Increase network timeouts only

Show Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: A systematic layered approach helps isolate the source of connectivity issues - testing physical links, network configuration, and application-level communication separately. This methodology connects to the deployment concepts covered in our Deployment and Operations practice questions.

Question 3: Memory Leak Detection

An AI training job shows gradually increasing memory usage over time, eventually causing out-of-memory errors. Which tool combination provides the most comprehensive diagnosis?

A) nvidia-smi only

B) Memory profiler, nvidia-smi, and application-level monitoring

C) System logs only

D) Restart application periodically

Show Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: Memory leaks require multiple diagnostic tools: memory profilers identify code-level leaks, nvidia-smi tracks GPU memory usage, and application monitoring reveals usage patterns over time. This comprehensive monitoring approach is detailed in our Performance Optimization and Monitoring practice questions.

Question 4: Preventive Maintenance Schedule

For a production AI infrastructure running 24/7, which preventive maintenance approach minimizes downtime while ensuring system reliability?

A) Weekly full system shutdowns

B) Rolling maintenance with workload migration

C) Annual maintenance only

D) Reactive maintenance only

Show Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: Rolling maintenance allows systematic upkeep of individual systems while maintaining overall service availability through workload redistribution. This approach requires the deployment strategies covered in our Deployment and Operations practice questions.

Question 5: Incident Response Planning

During a critical system failure affecting multiple AI training jobs, what should be the first priority in the incident response process?

A) Document the incident details

B) Restore service availability and data integrity

C) Identify root cause analysis

D) Notify all stakeholders immediately

Show Answer & Explanation

Correct Answer: B

Explanation: During critical incidents, the primary goal is rapid service restoration to minimize business impact. Documentation and root cause analysis follow after service recovery. This incident management approach connects to the security protocols covered in our Security and Compliance practice questions.

Troubleshooting Expertise Path

Master comprehensive troubleshooting with knowledge from these foundational domains:

• Foundation: Hardware and System Architecture Practice Questions (hardware diagnostics)

• Prerequisites: Deployment and Operations Practice Questions (operational context)

• Tools: Performance Optimization and Monitoring Practice Questions (diagnostic tools)

• Overview: Return to Complete Study Guide

Master AI Infrastructure Troubleshooting

Access comprehensive practice questions covering diagnostics, maintenance, and incident response procedures.