Zabbix Certified Specialist Exam (3)
(2025/2026 Update) | Questions and
Verified Answers | Grade A
This exam for the Zabbix Certified Specialist certification (updated for 2025/2026) includes 50
multiple-choice questions covering advanced topics in Zabbix architecture, components,
installation, configuration, data collection, performance tuning, API, integrations,
troubleshooting, and maintenance. Questions are based on Zabbix 6.4+ features, with answers in
RED and detailed rationales referencing official Zabbix documentation.
Question 1: In Zabbix architecture, what is the detailed role of the server component in
processing data from various sources, evaluating conditions, and maintaining system state across
distributed environments?
The Zabbix server acts as the central hub that receives data from agents, proxies, and
SNMP devices, stores it in the database, evaluates triggers, generates events, and
coordinates actions while supporting high availability through load balancing
Rationale: As per Zabbix architecture docs, the server handles polling, trapping, and
housekeeping; it scales with pollers and syncers for large setups, ensuring data integrity and
alerting reliability.
Question 2: How does the Zabbix proxy component enhance monitoring in geographically
distributed or network-segmented environments by offloading tasks from the main server?
The proxy collects data locally from hosts, buffers it during connectivity issues, and
forwards to the server, reducing WAN traffic and enabling autonomous operation in
remote sites
Rationale: Proxies support active/passive modes, encryption with PSK/TLS, and SQLite/DB for
storage, ideal for branches or DMZs per distributed monitoring guide.
Question 3: What specific configuration parameters in the zabbix_server.conf file control the
startup and behavior of various internal processes like pollers, trappers, and alert managers?
Parameters such as StartPollers, StartTrappers, StartAlerters, and CacheSize define
process counts and memory allocation for efficient data handling and alerting
, Rationale: Tuning these based on host count and item volume prevents bottlenecks; defaults are
conservative, adjustable via restart and monitored internally.
Question 4: During Zabbix installation on Linux, what steps are involved in setting up the
database schema and initial configuration for optimal performance with PostgreSQL?
Import schema.sql, images.sql, and data.sql using psql, configure DB credentials in
zabbix_server.conf and zabbix.conf.php, and enable TimescaleDB for partitioning
Rationale: PostgreSQL with TimescaleDB hypertables compresses history/trends, reducing
storage by 90%+; mandatory for versions 6.0+ in enterprise per install docs.
Question 5: How can encryption be configured between Zabbix components like agents,
proxies, and servers to ensure secure data transmission in compliance with security standards?
Use TLS/PSK in agent/proxy conf with certificates or pre-shared keys, setting TLSConnect
and TLSAccept parameters to encrypt all communications
Rationale: Prevents eavesdropping; certificates via OpenSSL, PSK for simplicity, verified in
logs and mandatory for GDPR-compliant setups.
Question 6: What is the purpose and configuration of value maps in Zabbix for transforming
numeric or string values into human-readable labels in graphs and alerts?
Value maps define mappings like 0->Down, 1->Up for SNMP status, applied to items to
display meaningful text instead of raw codes
Rationale: Enhances usability in dashboards; global or item-level, supports regex for dynamic
mapping per UI configuration guide.
Question 7: In Zabbix actions, how do recovery operations and update operations differ in
handling problem resolution and ongoing management during incidents?
Recovery operations trigger on OK state with custom messages, while update operations
run on acknowledgments or manual updates for status changes
Rationale: Automates closure notifications and internal notes, reducing manual work in
ticketing integrations.
Question 8: What advanced trigger functions like forecast() and trendavg() provide predictive
analytics capabilities in Zabbix for proactive maintenance?
Forecast() predicts future values based on trends, trendavg() computes average change
rate, enabling alerts on projected disk full or capacity issues
(2025/2026 Update) | Questions and
Verified Answers | Grade A
This exam for the Zabbix Certified Specialist certification (updated for 2025/2026) includes 50
multiple-choice questions covering advanced topics in Zabbix architecture, components,
installation, configuration, data collection, performance tuning, API, integrations,
troubleshooting, and maintenance. Questions are based on Zabbix 6.4+ features, with answers in
RED and detailed rationales referencing official Zabbix documentation.
Question 1: In Zabbix architecture, what is the detailed role of the server component in
processing data from various sources, evaluating conditions, and maintaining system state across
distributed environments?
The Zabbix server acts as the central hub that receives data from agents, proxies, and
SNMP devices, stores it in the database, evaluates triggers, generates events, and
coordinates actions while supporting high availability through load balancing
Rationale: As per Zabbix architecture docs, the server handles polling, trapping, and
housekeeping; it scales with pollers and syncers for large setups, ensuring data integrity and
alerting reliability.
Question 2: How does the Zabbix proxy component enhance monitoring in geographically
distributed or network-segmented environments by offloading tasks from the main server?
The proxy collects data locally from hosts, buffers it during connectivity issues, and
forwards to the server, reducing WAN traffic and enabling autonomous operation in
remote sites
Rationale: Proxies support active/passive modes, encryption with PSK/TLS, and SQLite/DB for
storage, ideal for branches or DMZs per distributed monitoring guide.
Question 3: What specific configuration parameters in the zabbix_server.conf file control the
startup and behavior of various internal processes like pollers, trappers, and alert managers?
Parameters such as StartPollers, StartTrappers, StartAlerters, and CacheSize define
process counts and memory allocation for efficient data handling and alerting
, Rationale: Tuning these based on host count and item volume prevents bottlenecks; defaults are
conservative, adjustable via restart and monitored internally.
Question 4: During Zabbix installation on Linux, what steps are involved in setting up the
database schema and initial configuration for optimal performance with PostgreSQL?
Import schema.sql, images.sql, and data.sql using psql, configure DB credentials in
zabbix_server.conf and zabbix.conf.php, and enable TimescaleDB for partitioning
Rationale: PostgreSQL with TimescaleDB hypertables compresses history/trends, reducing
storage by 90%+; mandatory for versions 6.0+ in enterprise per install docs.
Question 5: How can encryption be configured between Zabbix components like agents,
proxies, and servers to ensure secure data transmission in compliance with security standards?
Use TLS/PSK in agent/proxy conf with certificates or pre-shared keys, setting TLSConnect
and TLSAccept parameters to encrypt all communications
Rationale: Prevents eavesdropping; certificates via OpenSSL, PSK for simplicity, verified in
logs and mandatory for GDPR-compliant setups.
Question 6: What is the purpose and configuration of value maps in Zabbix for transforming
numeric or string values into human-readable labels in graphs and alerts?
Value maps define mappings like 0->Down, 1->Up for SNMP status, applied to items to
display meaningful text instead of raw codes
Rationale: Enhances usability in dashboards; global or item-level, supports regex for dynamic
mapping per UI configuration guide.
Question 7: In Zabbix actions, how do recovery operations and update operations differ in
handling problem resolution and ongoing management during incidents?
Recovery operations trigger on OK state with custom messages, while update operations
run on acknowledgments or manual updates for status changes
Rationale: Automates closure notifications and internal notes, reducing manual work in
ticketing integrations.
Question 8: What advanced trigger functions like forecast() and trendavg() provide predictive
analytics capabilities in Zabbix for proactive maintenance?
Forecast() predicts future values based on trends, trendavg() computes average change
rate, enabling alerts on projected disk full or capacity issues
