Why Study with PlanetCert?
The Latest Questions
Practice questions and exam topics aligned with the current exam objectives.
Detailed Explanations
Go beyond the answer. Master the material with comprehensive learning and professional explanations for every concept.
AI-Powered Insights
Personalized preparation guidance that adapts to your performance and identifies weak spots automatically.
Exam Information
Official specifications published by Red Hat
Exam Format
Registration
Validity
Skills this practice test covers
- Check control plane containers, and back up the control plane before changing it.
- Connect Keystone to Red Hat Identity Management, and manage domains, projects and custom roles.
- Build images with guestfish, define flavors and configure instances with cloud-init.
- Check Ceph health, configure Cinder volume types and manage Swift objects.
- Migrate instances off a compute node, and plan capacity on hyperconverged nodes.
- Automate stacks with Heat templates, Ansible playbooks and Octavia load balancers.
Explore related topics
EX210 exam content
10 domains · 34 topics · 162 questions
Manage the Red Hat OpenStack Platform Control Plane14 questions
The control plane is the set of OpenStack services that run the cloud, deployed as containers on the controller nodes of the overcloud. Candidates manage these services, back them up and restore them, and start and stop an overcloud in the right order.
Skills tested
- Check and restart containerized control plane services, and read their logs with podman.
- Explain the roles of the undercloud and the overcloud.
- Back up and restore the control plane, including its MariaDB database.
- Shut down and start an overcloud in the correct order.
Questions by topic
- Start and stop an overcloud2
- Manage control plane services7
- Backup and restore control plane5
Manage Infrastructure Security7 questions
This domain protects the platform itself. Candidates secure service endpoints with TLS, and use AIDE to watch the files on each node for unexpected changes.
Skills tested
- Enable TLS on OpenStack endpoints and rotate their certificates.
- Initialize an AIDE database and read an AIDE report.
Questions by topic
- Manage file-based component security with AIDE3
- Manage end-to-end secure services4
Manage User Security25 questions
This domain decides who can do what in the cloud. Candidates connect Keystone to Red Hat Identity Management (IdM), organize domains and projects, assign scoped and custom roles, and maintain the Fernet keys behind Keystone's tokens.
Skills tested
- Configure an IdM back end for Keystone and check that its users can authenticate.
- Create a domain for a client organization and nest projects inside it.
- Grant scoped roles such as admin, member and reader, and create custom roles.
- Rotate and distribute Fernet token keys across the controllers.
Questions by topic
- Manage an integrated IdM back-end configuration5
- Maintain token keys4
- Customize user roles5
- Manage project organization5
- Create a Red Hat OpenStack Platform domain for a client organization3
- Manage scoped service access3
Manage Application Deployment Resources14 questions
Instances start from images and flavors. Candidates build and customize images, set flavor sizes and properties, and use cloud-init to configure an instance on its first boot.
Skills tested
- Upload images in formats such as qcow2 and raw, and set their visibility.
- Customize an image with guestfish before uploading it.
- Create flavors with extra specs and access controls.
- Pass cloud-init user data to install packages and write files at launch.
Questions by topic
- Create images and flavors7
- Create and customize images3
- Initialize an instance during deployment4
Manage Storage in Red Hat OpenStack Platform28 questions
OpenStack stores data in several ways: Cinder block volumes, Swift objects, and Ceph clusters underneath. Candidates manage a Ceph cluster dedicated to the platform, pick the right storage for a workload and configure volume types.
Skills tested
- Check Ceph cluster health and add or remove OSDs.
- Configure Ceph RBD as the back end for Cinder volumes.
- Create volume types and quality-of-service settings.
- Store and retrieve objects in Swift containers.
Questions by topic
- Manage a Ceph storage cluster9
- Implement storage choices in Red Hat OpenStack Platform3
- Manage Swift storage9
- Manage a Red Hat OpenStack Platform-dedicated Ceph storage cluster2
- Configure storage infrastructure5
Manage Networking19 questions
Networking in the platform runs on Open Virtual Networking (OVN) through Neutron. Candidates configure OVN, create shared provider and project networks, and trace a network flow when traffic fails.
Skills tested
- Configure OVN services and inspect logical switches and routers.
- Create shared provider networks and project networks.
- Assign floating IPs and work out why an instance cannot be reached.
Questions by topic
- Configure Open Virtual Networking (OVN) services10
- Create and manage shared networks9
Manage Compute Node Operations17 questions
Compute nodes run the instances. Candidates take nodes in and out of service, move workloads with live or cold migration, and plan capacity, including on hyperconverged nodes that also host Ceph storage.
Skills tested
- Enable, disable and evacuate a compute node for maintenance.
- Move instances with live migration and cold migration.
- Use host aggregates and availability zones to place workloads.
- Plan capacity for hyperconverged (HCI) nodes that share compute and Ceph storage.
Questions by topic
- Re-balance compute node workloads4
- Administer compute nodes6
- Manage compute resource capacity4
- Manage hyperconverged resource capacity3
Monitor Operations6 questions
This domain covers watching the cloud. Candidates set up the Service Telemetry Framework (STF) to collect metrics and events, and follow how services write their logs.
Skills tested
- Deploy the Service Telemetry Framework and connect the overcloud to it.
- Explain how collectd and Ceilometer feed metrics and events into STF.
- Find a service's logs and change its log level.
Questions by topic
- Implement the Service Telemetry Framework5
- Understand the flow of Red Hat OpenStack Platform services and components logging1
Automate Cloud Application Deployment22 questions
This domain is about launching applications at scale without clicking through the dashboard. Candidates write Heat orchestration templates, run Ansible playbooks against OpenStack and build a load-balanced stack with Octavia.
Skills tested
- Write a Heat orchestration template with parameters, resources and outputs.
- Link resources with intrinsic functions such as get_resource and get_attr.
- Run Ansible playbooks that create and manage OpenStack resources.
- Build a load balancer with a listener, a pool and a health monitor.
Questions by topic
- Write heat orchestration templates8
- Manage mass-scale application deployment4
- Deploy applications using Ansible6
- Create a load-balanced application stack4
Troubleshoot Operations10 questions
Things break, and the exam expects a method for fixing them. Candidates diagnose failed instance launches and connectivity problems, and trace Heat stack events back to the resource that failed.
Skills tested
- Read service and Heat engine logs to find the cause of a failure.
- Diagnose instance launch failures, authentication errors and database connectivity issues.
- List a stack's events and resources to find the one that failed.
Questions by topic
- Diagnose issues7
- Trace heat stack events and troubleshoot failures2
- Troubleshoot common core issues1
Requirements
- Required: RHCSA certification, or equivalent Linux administration experience and skills.
- Recommended: the CL110 and CL210 courses, or hands-on experience operating Red Hat OpenStack Platform.
- Recommended: working Ansible and YAML skills, which the automation tasks need.
About the EX210 exam
EX210 tests whether an administrator can operate a Red Hat OpenStack Platform private cloud, through real tasks on a live system rather than multiple-choice questions. It covers the work that follows deployment: the control plane, user security, images, storage, networking, compute nodes, monitoring, automation and troubleshooting. Passing earns the Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud Infrastructure credential, which counts toward Red Hat Certified Architect (RHCA).
The PlanetCert practice test is multiple choice, so it cannot replace a live lab. It checks the knowledge each task depends on: which service, command or setting does the job, and in what order. Storage and user security carry the most questions, in line with their weight in the objectives. Brainy AI Assistant can explain what a command or a line of a Heat template does before it is tried for real. Every answer is explained, so each miss points to a procedure to rehearse in the lab.
How to earn the certification
- Earns
- Red Hat Certified Specialist in Cloud InfrastructureSpecialist
The credential stays current for three years. Passing the current version of EX210 renews it.
- Before
- EX200 Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)
Required for EX210, unless the candidate can show comparable Linux experience.
- EX294 Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)
Not needed for EX210 itself. RHCA requires it, and its Ansible skills help with the automation domain.
- EX200 Red Hat Certified System Administrator (RHCSA)
How to prepare for EX210
- 1
Match the lab to the exam version
Check which Red Hat OpenStack Platform version Red Hat lists for EX210, then practise on that version, in a home lab or the labs that come with Red Hat's courses. Commands and deployment tools change between versions.
- 2
Rehearse every objective by hand
The exam is all hands-on, so reading is not enough. Turn each objective into a task at the command line, from creating a Keystone domain to writing a Heat template, and repeat it until it works without notes.
- 3
Make every change survive a reboot
Red Hat requires every configuration to persist after a reboot. After each lab task, restart the affected node and confirm that the change is still in place.
- 4
Spend extra time on storage and identity
Storage and user security carry the most weight. Practise Ceph health checks, Cinder volume types, Swift, Keystone domains, roles and Fernet key rotation until each can be done from memory.
- 5
Find gaps with timed EX210 runs
Use the practice test to find gaps in commands and procedures, first one domain at a time, then as timed runs. Rehearse every missed topic in the lab before exam day.
Start a timed EX210run
Red Hat prepares candidates with Red Hat OpenStack Administration I: Core Operations for Domain Operators (CL110) and Red Hat OpenStack Administration II: Day 2 Operations for Cloud Operators (CL210). The CL211 offering bundles CL210 with the exam.
Who EX210 is for
- OpenStack administrators who run a Red Hat private cloud after deployment.
- RHCE holders who are collecting specialist credentials toward RHCA.
- Cloud operators who handle daily tasks such as user access, capacity and backups.
- Architects who design OpenStack clouds and want proof of hands-on operating skill.
Typical job titles: OpenStack administrator · Cloud operations engineer · Linux systems engineer · Cloud infrastructure engineer
EX210 glossary
19 terms from the exam objectives and the vendor's official material, each defined in a sentence.
- AIDE (Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment)
- A tool that records a baseline of file checksums and reports any file that changes later.
- Ceph
- Distributed storage software that keeps copies of data on many servers, so the loss of one disk or node does not lose data.
- Ceph RBD
- The Ceph block device service, used as the storage back end for Cinder volumes and instance disks.
- Cinder
- The OpenStack block storage service, which provides volumes that attach to instances like virtual disks.
- cloud-init
- A tool inside an image that configures an instance on its first boot, using user data passed in at launch.
- Fernet token keys
- The keys Keystone uses to encrypt and check its tokens. They are rotated regularly and must match on every controller.
- Flavor
- A template that sets an instance's virtual CPUs, memory and disk size.
- Heat Orchestration Template (HOT)
- A YAML file that lists the parameters, resources and outputs Heat should create as one stack.
- Host aggregates
- Groups of compute nodes that share a property, such as fast disks, used to decide where instances run.
- Hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI)
- Nodes that run both compute services and Ceph storage, so one type of server provides both.
- Keystone
- The OpenStack identity service, which authenticates users and issues the tokens that other services check.
- Live migration
- Moving a running instance to another compute node without shutting it down.
- Octavia
- The OpenStack load-balancing service, which spreads traffic across a pool of instances.
- Open Virtual Networking (OVN)
- The virtual networking system that Neutron uses to build logical switches, routers and security rules across nodes.
- Overcloud
- The production OpenStack cloud that users and workloads run on, deployed from the undercloud.
- Red Hat Identity Management (IdM)
- Red Hat's central directory of users, groups and policies, which Keystone can use as its user back end.
- Service Telemetry Framework
- Red Hat's monitoring stack that collects metrics and events from the cloud and shows them in dashboards.
- Swift
- The OpenStack object storage service, which stores files as objects in containers reached through an API.
- Undercloud
- The management node that runs director and uses it to deploy and update the overcloud.