Substituting a Faulty Network Interface Card
Question
A mission critical server has faulted with a dead 66 MHz 3.3V PCI-X network interface card.
The system administrator has been directed to get the server functional as soon as possible, even if it is connected with less bandwidth.
There are no onsite spare cards available and the vendor does not expect to have the parts for at least a week.
Which of the following immediately available NICs could be substituted instead?
Answers
Explanations
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A. B. C. D.A.
In this scenario, the mission-critical server has faulted due to a dead 66 MHz 3.3V PCI-X network interface card. The system administrator needs to get the server functional as soon as possible, even if it is connected with less bandwidth. However, there are no spare cards available onsite and the vendor doesn't have the required parts for at least a week. Therefore, the system administrator needs to find an immediately available NIC that can be used as a substitute.
To determine the appropriate NIC, it's important to consider the specifications of the dead NIC and compare them with the available options.
PCI-X is a high-performance version of the PCI bus that offers faster speeds and larger bandwidths than traditional PCI cards. It has several variations based on bus speed, voltage, and width. The dead NIC is a 66 MHz 3.3V PCI-X card, which means it has a bus speed of 66 MHz and operates at 3.3V voltage level.
Let's examine each of the available NIC options and determine whether they can be substituted for the dead NIC:
A. 33 MHz 3.3V PCI - This option is a traditional PCI card with a lower bus speed (33 MHz) than the dead NIC. Therefore, it cannot replace the dead NIC as it won't offer the same level of performance.
B. 66 MHz 5V PCI - This option is a traditional PCI card with the same bus speed (66 MHz) as the dead NIC but operates at a higher voltage level (5V) than the dead NIC. The server may not support this card as it requires a different voltage level than the dead NIC. Therefore, it's not a suitable substitute.
C. 266 MHzx 3.3V PCI-X - This option is a PCI-X card with a higher bus speed (266 MHz) than the dead NIC but operates at the same voltage level (3.3V) as the dead NIC. While this card provides more bandwidth than the dead NIC, it's still a suitable substitute as it has the same voltage level and can be used in the server.
D. 533 MHz 5V PCI-X - This option is a PCI-X card with a higher bus speed (533 MHz) than the dead NIC but operates at a higher voltage level (5V) than the dead NIC. This card may not be compatible with the server as it requires a different voltage level than the dead NIC. Therefore, it's not a suitable substitute.
Based on the above analysis, the appropriate substitute for the dead 66 MHz 3.3V PCI-X network interface card is the 266 MHzx 3.3V PCI-X card. This card has a higher bus speed and provides more bandwidth than the dead NIC, while also operating at the same voltage level. This allows the server to be functional even if it is connected with less bandwidth until the vendor can provide a replacement card.
