CompTIA A+ Core 1 (220-1201)Virtualization and Cloud ComputingMedium
A technician is provisioning a new virtualization host with 64GB of physical RAM. The hypervisor itself reserves 4GB for its own operations, and the plan is to deploy six VMs, each requiring 8GB of dedicated RAM. Does the host have enough RAM to meet these requirements without overcommitting memory?
- ANo, an additional 8GB of RAM is required
- BYes, with 12GB of RAM remaining free
- CNo, an additional 4GB of RAM is required
- DYes, but exactly 0GB of RAM will remain free
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Yes, with 12GB of RAM remaining free
Total VM RAM needed is 6 x 8GB = 48GB, plus the 4GB hypervisor reservation equals 52GB. Subtracting this from the 64GB available leaves 64 - 52 = 12GB free, so the host has sufficient RAM.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Incorrect math; there is no shortage since 52GB is well under 64GB.
- C. Incorrect math; no additional RAM is needed at all.
- D. Incorrect; 12GB remains, not 0GB.
VM Resource Planning
Calculating whether host hardware resources (RAM, CPU) can support planned VM workloads plus hypervisor overhead.
- Always account for hypervisor/management overhead
- Sum all VM resource requirements before comparing to host capacity
- Overcommitting RAM can degrade VM performance
Memory trick: Add up VMs + hypervisor overhead, then compare to total host RAM.