CompTIA Server+ (SK0-005)TroubleshootingMedium
A server administrator is investigating why a Windows Server 2022 system is experiencing extremely slow boot times and applications are taking an unusually long time to launch. The server's event logs show numerous warnings related to 'paging activity' and 'low virtual memory'. The server has 32GB of RAM installed. What is the MOST likely cause of these symptoms?
- AOutdated graphics drivers
- BDisk I/O bottleneck due to excessive paging
- CInsufficient CPU resources
- DNetwork latency issues
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Disk I/O bottleneck due to excessive paging
'Paging activity' and 'low virtual memory' warnings indicate that the system is frequently moving data between RAM and the slower disk-based page file. This excessive disk activity, known as thrashing, creates a significant disk I/O bottleneck, directly causing slow boot times and application performance, even with ample physical RAM.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Outdated graphics drivers would affect display performance or specific graphical applications, not system-wide boot and application launch times in a server environment.
- C. While insufficient CPU can cause slowness, the specific errors point to memory/disk interaction, not primarily CPU.
- D. Network latency would primarily affect network-dependent operations, not general system boot times or local application launches.
Memory Thrashing
Memory thrashing occurs when a system frequently moves data between RAM and the page file (swap space) due to insufficient physical memory for active processes.
- Causes severe disk I/O bottlenecks.
- Results in significant performance degradation.
- Indicated by high paging activity and low virtual memory alerts.
Memory trick: Thrashing disk, system's a snail, memory's on trial.