Cohesity File and Object Services
Associate Exam
1. What is the primary goal of the Cohesity DataPlatform?
A) To provide a dedicated solution only for virtual machine backups.
B) To consolidate secondary data silos (like backups, files, objects, test/dev copies) onto
a single, web-scale platform.
C) To compete directly with primary storage arrays for high-performance databases.
D) To offer a cloud-only storage solution.
Answer: B
Explanation: Cohesity's core value proposition is consolidating fragmented secondary
data and infrastructure (backup storage, file shares, object stores, analytics data) to
reduce complexity and cost.
2. The underlying distributed file system that powers the Cohesity DataPlatform is
called:
A) Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS).
B) SpanFS.
C) Google File System (GFS).
D) New Technology File System (NTFS).
Answer: B
Explanation: SpanFS is Cohesity's proprietary, scale-out file system that provides the
foundation for its global deduplication, scalability, and data management features.
3. The smallest unit of physical hardware in a Cohesity cluster is a:
A) Volume.
B) View.
C) Node.
D) Domain.
Answer: C
Explanation: A node is an individual physical or virtual server that contributes its
resources (CPU, memory, storage) to the cluster. Multiple nodes form a cluster.
4. A logical grouping of Cohesity nodes that share resources and configuration is
called a:
,A) View.
B) Domain.
C) Cluster.
D) VLAN.
Answer: C
Explanation: A cluster is the fundamental management unit in Cohesity, comprising
multiple nodes that work together as a single system.
5. Cohesity's global deduplication occurs:
A) Only within a single node.
B) Only for backup data, not for file services.
C) Across all nodes in the cluster.
D) Manually when triggered by an administrator.
Answer: C
Explanation: "Global" means the deduplication process identifies redundant data blocks
across the entire cluster, not just within a single node or data type, maximizing storage
efficiency.
6. What is a key architectural benefit of Cohesity's web-scale design?
A) It requires specialized, proprietary hardware.
B) It allows for linear, non-disruptive scaling by adding nodes.
C) It has a fixed capacity limit that cannot be exceeded.
D) It performs best as a single, large node.
Answer: B
Explanation: Web-scale architecture is inspired by companies like Google, allowing you
to start small and scale performance and capacity seamlessly by adding more nodes to
the cluster without downtime.
7. The Cohesity feature that provides unified file and object services is called:
A) SpanFS.
B) DataProtect.
C) SmartFiles.
D) Helios.
Answer: C
Explanation: SmartFiles is the specific service on the Cohesity DataPlatform that
enables scalable, highly available file (NFS/SMB) and object (S3) storage.
,8. A "View" in Cohesity is best defined as:
A) The dashboard in the Cohesity UI.
B) A logical filesystem that is shared to clients over NFS or SMB.
C) A read-only snapshot of a file share.
D) A physical mount point on a node.
Answer: B
Explanation: A View is a central concept for file services. It's a logical container or share
that is exported to network clients via standard protocols.
9. Which protocol is NOT natively supported by Cohesity for file access?
A) NFSv3
B) SMB 2.0
C) Fibre Channel (FC)
D) SMB 3.0
Answer: C
Explanation: Cohesity provides file services over IP networks (Ethernet) using NFS and
SMB. It does not use block-level protocols like Fibre Channel for file sharing.
10. When creating a View, what is the purpose of configuring a "QoS Policy"?
A) To set the deduplication level for the View.
B) To enforce minimum and maximum I/O limits on the View.
C) To configure the file locking mechanism for SMB.
D) To enable antivirus scanning for the View.
Answer: B
Explanation: Quality of Service (QoS) Policies allow administrators to control the
performance impact of a View by setting IOPS and throughput limits, ensuring no single
share consumes all cluster resources.
11. What is the purpose of an "Active Directory provider" configuration in
Cohesity File Services?
A) To join the Cohesity cluster to the AD domain for user authentication.
B) To backup Active Directory databases.
C) To create new Active Directory user accounts.
D) To replace an existing Active Directory server.
Answer: A
Explanation: Integrating with an Active Directory provider allows the Cohesity cluster to
authenticate users and groups against AD when they access SMB shares, enabling
permission management.
, 12. A "View Box" is responsible for:
A) Defining the physical disks used for a View.
B) Containing configuration settings like protocol access and authentication sources for
one or more Views.
C) Acting as a virtual machine for running file services.
D) Compressing the data within a specific View.
Answer: B
Explanation: A View Box is a template-like object that holds common settings (like
NFS/SMB configuration, AD provider, and QoS policy) that are applied to the Views
created within it.
13. The primary protocol used to access data on Cohesity through its Object
services is:
A) NFS.
B) SMB.
C) Amazon S3.
D) FTP.
Answer: C
Explanation: Cohesity's object services are accessed via the industry-standard Amazon
S3 REST API, making it compatible with a vast ecosystem of applications.
14. In S3 terminology, a logical container for storing objects is called a:
A) View.
B) Bucket.
C) Folder.
D) Cluster.
Answer: B
Explanation: The S3 protocol uses the term "Bucket" as the top-level container for
objects, analogous to a file share or a filesystem.
15. What is required on the Cohesity platform before you can create an S3 bucket?
A) A View Box must be created first.
B) A VLAN must be configured.
C) An Object Store Interface must be created and enabled.
D) The cluster must be upgraded to a specific software version.
Answer: C
Explanation: The Object Store Interface is a logical entity (with an IP address) that
provides access to the S3 API. It must be configured before any buckets can be created.
Associate Exam
1. What is the primary goal of the Cohesity DataPlatform?
A) To provide a dedicated solution only for virtual machine backups.
B) To consolidate secondary data silos (like backups, files, objects, test/dev copies) onto
a single, web-scale platform.
C) To compete directly with primary storage arrays for high-performance databases.
D) To offer a cloud-only storage solution.
Answer: B
Explanation: Cohesity's core value proposition is consolidating fragmented secondary
data and infrastructure (backup storage, file shares, object stores, analytics data) to
reduce complexity and cost.
2. The underlying distributed file system that powers the Cohesity DataPlatform is
called:
A) Hadoop Distributed File System (HDFS).
B) SpanFS.
C) Google File System (GFS).
D) New Technology File System (NTFS).
Answer: B
Explanation: SpanFS is Cohesity's proprietary, scale-out file system that provides the
foundation for its global deduplication, scalability, and data management features.
3. The smallest unit of physical hardware in a Cohesity cluster is a:
A) Volume.
B) View.
C) Node.
D) Domain.
Answer: C
Explanation: A node is an individual physical or virtual server that contributes its
resources (CPU, memory, storage) to the cluster. Multiple nodes form a cluster.
4. A logical grouping of Cohesity nodes that share resources and configuration is
called a:
,A) View.
B) Domain.
C) Cluster.
D) VLAN.
Answer: C
Explanation: A cluster is the fundamental management unit in Cohesity, comprising
multiple nodes that work together as a single system.
5. Cohesity's global deduplication occurs:
A) Only within a single node.
B) Only for backup data, not for file services.
C) Across all nodes in the cluster.
D) Manually when triggered by an administrator.
Answer: C
Explanation: "Global" means the deduplication process identifies redundant data blocks
across the entire cluster, not just within a single node or data type, maximizing storage
efficiency.
6. What is a key architectural benefit of Cohesity's web-scale design?
A) It requires specialized, proprietary hardware.
B) It allows for linear, non-disruptive scaling by adding nodes.
C) It has a fixed capacity limit that cannot be exceeded.
D) It performs best as a single, large node.
Answer: B
Explanation: Web-scale architecture is inspired by companies like Google, allowing you
to start small and scale performance and capacity seamlessly by adding more nodes to
the cluster without downtime.
7. The Cohesity feature that provides unified file and object services is called:
A) SpanFS.
B) DataProtect.
C) SmartFiles.
D) Helios.
Answer: C
Explanation: SmartFiles is the specific service on the Cohesity DataPlatform that
enables scalable, highly available file (NFS/SMB) and object (S3) storage.
,8. A "View" in Cohesity is best defined as:
A) The dashboard in the Cohesity UI.
B) A logical filesystem that is shared to clients over NFS or SMB.
C) A read-only snapshot of a file share.
D) A physical mount point on a node.
Answer: B
Explanation: A View is a central concept for file services. It's a logical container or share
that is exported to network clients via standard protocols.
9. Which protocol is NOT natively supported by Cohesity for file access?
A) NFSv3
B) SMB 2.0
C) Fibre Channel (FC)
D) SMB 3.0
Answer: C
Explanation: Cohesity provides file services over IP networks (Ethernet) using NFS and
SMB. It does not use block-level protocols like Fibre Channel for file sharing.
10. When creating a View, what is the purpose of configuring a "QoS Policy"?
A) To set the deduplication level for the View.
B) To enforce minimum and maximum I/O limits on the View.
C) To configure the file locking mechanism for SMB.
D) To enable antivirus scanning for the View.
Answer: B
Explanation: Quality of Service (QoS) Policies allow administrators to control the
performance impact of a View by setting IOPS and throughput limits, ensuring no single
share consumes all cluster resources.
11. What is the purpose of an "Active Directory provider" configuration in
Cohesity File Services?
A) To join the Cohesity cluster to the AD domain for user authentication.
B) To backup Active Directory databases.
C) To create new Active Directory user accounts.
D) To replace an existing Active Directory server.
Answer: A
Explanation: Integrating with an Active Directory provider allows the Cohesity cluster to
authenticate users and groups against AD when they access SMB shares, enabling
permission management.
, 12. A "View Box" is responsible for:
A) Defining the physical disks used for a View.
B) Containing configuration settings like protocol access and authentication sources for
one or more Views.
C) Acting as a virtual machine for running file services.
D) Compressing the data within a specific View.
Answer: B
Explanation: A View Box is a template-like object that holds common settings (like
NFS/SMB configuration, AD provider, and QoS policy) that are applied to the Views
created within it.
13. The primary protocol used to access data on Cohesity through its Object
services is:
A) NFS.
B) SMB.
C) Amazon S3.
D) FTP.
Answer: C
Explanation: Cohesity's object services are accessed via the industry-standard Amazon
S3 REST API, making it compatible with a vast ecosystem of applications.
14. In S3 terminology, a logical container for storing objects is called a:
A) View.
B) Bucket.
C) Folder.
D) Cluster.
Answer: B
Explanation: The S3 protocol uses the term "Bucket" as the top-level container for
objects, analogous to a file share or a filesystem.
15. What is required on the Cohesity platform before you can create an S3 bucket?
A) A View Box must be created first.
B) A VLAN must be configured.
C) An Object Store Interface must be created and enabled.
D) The cluster must be upgraded to a specific software version.
Answer: C
Explanation: The Object Store Interface is a logical entity (with an IP address) that
provides access to the S3 API. It must be configured before any buckets can be created.
