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100+ Free EX260 Practice Questions

Pass your Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ceph Cloud Storage (EX260) exam on the first try — instant access, no signup required.

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You created an EC pool with k=8, m=3. How many OSDs (in distinct failure domains) must remain available so the pool can serve reads and writes with default min_size?

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Key Facts: EX260 Exam

3 hours

Exam Duration

Red Hat

$500

Standard Exam Fee (USD)

Red Hat 2026

210/300

Typical Passing Score

Red Hat

Hands-on

Performance-based Format

Red Hat

RHCA

Counts Toward

Red Hat Certified Architect

3 years

Certification Validity

Red Hat

The EX260 is a 3-hour performance-based exam administered on a live Red Hat Ceph Storage cluster. Candidates execute real cephadm, ceph, rbd, radosgw-admin, and rados commands to deploy daemons, manage pools and CephX users, configure RBD/RGW/CephFS, edit CRUSH maps, and troubleshoot a cluster. Passing requires 210 of 300 points (70%) and is one of the specialist credentials counting toward RHCA.

Sample EX260 Practice Questions

Try these sample questions to test your EX260 exam readiness. Each question includes a detailed explanation. Start the interactive quiz above for the full 100+ question experience with AI tutoring.

1Which command is used to bootstrap a new Red Hat Ceph Storage cluster on the first monitor node?
A.ceph-deploy new mon01
B.cephadm bootstrap --mon-ip <ip>
C.ceph orch apply mon --bootstrap
D.ansible-playbook site.yml --tags bootstrap
Explanation: In RHCS 5 and later, cephadm replaces ceph-ansible and ceph-deploy. The 'cephadm bootstrap --mon-ip <ip>' command initializes the first monitor and manager on the bootstrap host, generates the cluster fsid, creates initial keyrings, and pulls the container images.
2After bootstrapping, which file does cephadm generate that you copy to other hosts so they can be added to the cluster?
A./etc/ceph/ceph.client.admin.keyring only
B./etc/ceph/ceph.pub (the cluster SSH public key)
C./var/lib/ceph/bootstrap-osd/ceph.keyring
D./etc/cephadm/cluster.yaml
Explanation: cephadm uses passwordless SSH to manage hosts. During bootstrap it generates /etc/ceph/ceph.pub, which must be installed in the root user's authorized_keys on every host you intend to add with 'ceph orch host add'.
3Which command adds a new host named ceph2 with IP 192.168.122.12 to a cephadm-managed cluster?
A.ceph orch host add ceph2 192.168.122.12
B.cephadm add-host ceph2
C.ceph mon add ceph2 192.168.122.12
D.ceph-deploy new ceph2
Explanation: 'ceph orch host add <hostname> <ip>' registers a host with the cephadm orchestrator. The host must already have the cluster's SSH public key installed and Podman/Docker plus required packages available.
4Which container runtime is required on every host of a Red Hat Ceph Storage 5+ cluster managed by cephadm?
A.Docker CE
B.Podman
C.containerd
D.CRI-O
Explanation: Red Hat Ceph Storage 5 and later run all daemons as containers managed by Podman on Red Hat Enterprise Linux. cephadm shells out to Podman to start and stop systemd-managed containers for each daemon.
5What does the '--cluster-network' option provided to 'cephadm bootstrap' configure?
A.The network the Ceph dashboard listens on
B.The dedicated replication and recovery network used between OSDs
C.The public client-facing network
D.The network used for SSH between hosts
Explanation: Ceph distinguishes the public network (clients and most daemon traffic) from the cluster network (OSD-to-OSD replication, recovery, and backfill). '--cluster-network' sets cluster_network in the configuration so OSD replication traffic can be isolated.
6After bootstrap, where does cephadm store the minimal configuration and admin keyring on the bootstrap host?
A./var/lib/ceph/<fsid>/
B./etc/ceph/ceph.conf and /etc/ceph/ceph.client.admin.keyring
C./root/.ceph/
D./usr/share/ceph/
Explanation: cephadm writes /etc/ceph/ceph.conf and /etc/ceph/ceph.client.admin.keyring on the bootstrap host so the 'ceph' CLI works there immediately. Per-daemon container data lives under /var/lib/ceph/<fsid>/ but the CLI uses /etc/ceph/.
7You ran 'cephadm bootstrap --mon-ip 192.168.122.10' but want to use a custom container registry. Which option specifies an alternative registry image?
A.--image registry.example.com/ceph/ceph:v17
B.--registry registry.example.com
C.--repo-url registry.example.com
D.--container registry.example.com/ceph
Explanation: The '--image' flag tells cephadm bootstrap which container image to pull and run for the initial daemons. A typical RHCS pattern is '--image registry.redhat.io/rhceph/rhceph-5-rhel8'.
8What is the purpose of 'cephadm shell' on a managed host?
A.It restarts all containers on that host
B.It opens an interactive shell inside a container with the Ceph CLI and admin keyring mounted
C.It re-bootstraps the cluster
D.It triggers a host upgrade
Explanation: 'cephadm shell' starts an ephemeral container with the Ceph client tools installed and the cluster configuration plus admin keyring bind-mounted. It is the canonical way to run 'ceph', 'rbd', or 'radosgw-admin' on hosts that do not have packages installed locally.
9Which command lists all hosts known to the cephadm orchestrator along with their assigned labels?
A.ceph host list
B.ceph orch host ls
C.cephadm hosts
D.ceph node ls
Explanation: 'ceph orch host ls' prints hosts registered with the orchestrator, their addresses, status, and any labels attached. Labels such as _admin, mon, osd, or rgw drive placement specs.
10To allow 'ceph' CLI access from any host, you should add which orchestrator label to that host?
A.mgr
B._admin
C.client
D.mon
Explanation: The special '_admin' label tells cephadm to copy /etc/ceph/ceph.conf and /etc/ceph/ceph.client.admin.keyring to that host so administrators can run cluster commands locally. It is added with 'ceph orch host label add <host> _admin'.

About the EX260 Exam

EX260 is a hands-on, performance-based exam that validates a candidate's ability to install, configure, and manage Red Hat Ceph Storage clusters. The exam counts toward earning Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).

Questions

100 scored questions

Time Limit

3 hours

Passing Score

210 of 300 (70%) - standard Red Hat performance-based cut score

Exam Fee

$500 USD typical (Red Hat)

EX260 Exam Content Outline

Major

Install and configure Red Hat Ceph Storage

Bootstrap clusters with cephadm, add hosts and labels, and deploy daemons through service specs and the Ceph orchestrator.

Major

Pools, authentication, and placement groups

Create replicated and erasure-coded pools, manage CephX users and capabilities, configure PG counts, and tune the autoscaler.

Major

Block storage with RBD

Provision RBD images, snapshots, clones, mirroring (journal and snapshot mode), live migration, and kernel mappings.

Major

Object storage with RADOS Gateway

Deploy RGW, configure S3 and Swift users, manage multisite realms/zones, periods, and quotas.

Major

File storage with CephFS

Deploy MDS daemons, create filesystems, manage subvolumes, quotas, snapshots, and NFS Ganesha exports.

Major

CRUSH map configuration

Decompile and edit CRUSH maps, build custom rules, and configure failure domains for replicated and EC pools.

Major

Cluster and OSD map management

Add and remove OSDs, set maintenance flags (noout/nodown), and operate the cluster with ceph osd commands.

Major

Cluster management and troubleshooting

Diagnose health warnings, slow operations, scrubbing issues, recovery, and backfill behavior.

Major

Performance tuning and OpenStack integration

Tune recovery throttles, scrub windows, BlueStore memory targets, and integrate Ceph with Cinder, Glance, and Nova.

How to Pass the EX260 Exam

What You Need to Know

  • Passing score: 210 of 300 (70%) - standard Red Hat performance-based cut score
  • Exam length: 100 questions
  • Time limit: 3 hours
  • Exam fee: $500 USD typical

Keys to Passing

  • Complete 500+ practice questions
  • Score 80%+ consistently before scheduling
  • Focus on highest-weighted sections
  • Use our AI tutor for tough concepts

EX260 Study Tips from Top Performers

1Build a 4-6 node lab and run cephadm bootstrap, host add, and service specs from scratch repeatedly
2Memorize the difference between 'ceph orch ls' (services) and 'ceph orch ps' (daemons) for quick triage
3Practice CRUSH map workflows: getcrushmap, crushtool -d, edit, crushtool -c, setcrushmap
4Drill RGW multisite and CephFS subvolume commands - they are commonly missed under time pressure
5Run 'ceph health detail' first whenever HEALTH_WARN appears, then resolve flags and slow ops methodically

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the EX260 exam format?

EX260 is a 3-hour, performance-based, hands-on exam. Candidates are given a live Red Hat Ceph Storage cluster and must complete real configuration and administration tasks using cephadm, ceph, rbd, radosgw-admin, and related tools. There are no multiple-choice questions on the live exam.

What is the EX260 passing score?

Red Hat performance-based exams typically require 210 of 300 points (70%) to pass. Tasks are graded on whether the configured systems function as required at the end of the exam.

How much does the EX260 exam cost?

The standard Red Hat exam price is $500 USD per attempt; pricing varies by region. The Red Hat Learning Subscription bundles training (including CL260) with exam attempts at a higher annual price.

What are the prerequisites for EX260?

Red Hat recommends RHCSA-level Linux experience and completion of CL260 Cloud Storage with Red Hat Ceph Storage (or equivalent on-the-job experience). RHCSA is not a strict prerequisite for taking EX260, but the underlying Linux skills are essential.

How should I study for EX260?

Build a multi-node lab (virtual machines work well) and practice every objective hands-on: cephadm bootstrap, deploying OSDs/MDS/RGW via service specs, RBD images and clones, CephFS subvolumes, CRUSH map edits, and OSD lifecycle. Use 'cephadm shell' on a live cluster until commands are muscle memory.

Does EX260 count toward RHCA?

Yes. Earning the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ceph Cloud Storage credential through EX260 counts as one of the specialist exams required to achieve Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).