Top 40 OpenStack Interview Question and Answers (2026)

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OpenStack Interview Questions and Answers

Preparing for an OpenStack interview? It is essential to anticipate the topics behind every OpenStack Interview to understand expectations and demonstrate clarity. This introduction highlights their importance and relevance today.

OpenStack roles offer strong career perspectives as the ecosystem grows across cloud infrastructure, requiring technical expertise and professional experience backed by solid analysis. Working in the field enhances analyzing skills, domain expertise, and root-level experience that help freshers, experienced engineers, and senior professionals crack common and advanced questions and answers. Read more…

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Top OpenStack Interview Question and Answers

1) What is OpenStack and what are its key components?

OpenStack is an open-source cloud computing platform that enables organizations to build and manage both public and private clouds. It provides a set of modular components that work together to control compute, storage, and networking resources in a data center through a dashboard or API.

Core Components of OpenStack:

Component Function
Nova Manages and provisions compute instances (VMs).
Neutron Handles networking services.
Swift Provides object storage for unstructured data.
Cinder Offers block storage for persistent data.
Keystone Handles authentication and authorization.
Glance Manages images and snapshots.
Horizon Web-based user interface dashboard.
Heat Orchestration engine for automating deployments.
Ceilometer Monitors usage and provides metering.

Example: A company using OpenStack can deploy Nova to spin up virtual servers while Neutron manages internal and external network routing between those servers.

2) Explain the OpenStack architecture and its lifecycle.

The OpenStack architecture is service-oriented and follows a modular design. Each component runs as a separate service, communicating through RESTful APIs.

Lifecycle of an OpenStack Instance:

  1. Request: A user requests a virtual machine via Horizon or API.
  2. Authentication: Keystone validates credentials.
  3. Scheduling: Nova Scheduler decides where to host the instance.
  4. Provisioning: Nova Compute launches the instance using a hypervisor.
  5. Networking: Neutron assigns IPs and configures security groups.
  6. Storage Allocation: Cinder and Swift provide persistent storage.
  7. Monitoring: Ceilometer collects metrics.
  8. Termination: When no longer needed, the instance is deleted and resources are freed.

This lifecycle ensures elasticity and scalability across distributed environments.

3) What are the different types of OpenStack storage, and how do they differ?

OpenStack supports three main types of storage:

Type Component Description Use Case
Object Storage Swift Stores unstructured data (files, images). Backup and archival storage.
Block Storage Cinder Attachable volumes for VMs. Databases and persistent application storage.
Shared File System Manila Provides file share access (NFS/CIFS). Multi-instance shared environments.

Difference: Object storage is ideal for scalable, unstructured data, while block storage is used for performance-sensitive workloads. Shared file systems enable concurrent access by multiple instances.

4) How does OpenStack differ from other cloud platforms like AWS or VMware?

While AWS and VMware are proprietary solutions, OpenStack is an open-source platform offering greater flexibility and cost-efficiency.

Criteria OpenStack AWS VMware
Licensing Open Source Proprietary Proprietary
Deployment Self-hosted Managed On-premise
Customization Highly flexible Limited Moderate
Community Support Strong global community AWS Support Vendor-driven
Cost Low (Infrastructure only) Subscription-based License cost

Example: Enterprises that prioritize data sovereignty often choose OpenStack to maintain full control of infrastructure instead of relying on AWS.

5) What are the advantages and disadvantages of using OpenStack?

Advantages:

  • Vendor-neutral and open-source.
  • Scalable and flexible.
  • Supports multi-tenancy.
  • Compatible with multiple hypervisors and hardware.

Disadvantages:

  • Complex to deploy and manage.
  • Requires skilled administrators.
  • Limited GUI compared to commercial clouds.

Example: A telecom company can scale compute nodes efficiently with OpenStack, but initial setup may require extensive configuration.

6) How does OpenStack handle networking through Neutron?

Neutron is the networking component of OpenStack, enabling network connectivity as a service between interface devices managed by other OpenStack services.

Key Features:

  • Creation of virtual networks, routers, and subnets.
  • Support for SDN plugins (e.g., Open vSwitch, Cisco).
  • Enables Load Balancing-as-a-Service (LBaaS) and VPN-as-a-Service (VPNaaS).
  • Provides Security Groups and Floating IPs for public access.

Example: An organization can create isolated tenant networks while maintaining secure external access via floating IPs.

7) What are the different ways to deploy OpenStack?

There are several methods to deploy OpenStack depending on the use case and infrastructure size:

Deployment Method Description Example Tool
Manual Deployment Configuring each component manually. DevStack
Automated Deployment Using orchestration or automation tools. Ansible, Juju
Managed Distribution Pre-packaged solutions from vendors. Red Hat OpenStack Platform
Containerized Deployment Running services in containers for scalability. Kolla-Ansible

Example: Enterprises often use Red Hat OpenStack for production environments due to its stability and support.

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8) What are the characteristics of a successful OpenStack deployment?

A successful deployment emphasizes modularity, high availability, and security.

Characteristics:

  • Proper resource planning and capacity management.
  • Redundancy across compute and controller nodes.
  • Use of monitoring tools like Ceilometer and Nagios.
  • Adherence to security best practices (e.g., role-based access via Keystone).
  • Regular patching and updates for stability.

Example: A cloud provider using OpenStack for customer VMs must ensure redundancy in Nova and Neutron to prevent downtime.

9) Explain the difference between Cinder and Swift in OpenStack.

Feature Cinder (Block Storage) Swift (Object Storage)
Data Type Structured blocks Unstructured objects
Accessibility Attachable to instances Accessed via REST API
Use Case Databases, boot volumes File storage, backups
Scalability Limited by backend Highly scalable
Persistence Persistent until deleted Persistent and distributed

Example: Cinder would be used for a database server’s volume, whereas Swift would store backup snapshots or logs.

10) How does OpenStack ensure security and authentication?

Security in OpenStack is primarily managed by Keystone, which provides identity, token, and policy services.

Key Security Layers:

  1. Authentication: Users validate credentials via Keystone.
  2. Authorization: Roles and policies determine access.
  3. Network Security: Managed via Neutron security groups and firewalls.
  4. Image Security: Glance enforces signed and verified images.
  5. Audit & Logging: Ceilometer tracks resource usage and access logs.

Example: When a user launches an instance, Keystone verifies their token, and Neutron ensures network isolation between tenants.

11) How does OpenStack Heat enable orchestration and automation?

OpenStack Heat is the orchestration engine responsible for automating the creation and management of cloud resources. It uses templates written in HOT (Heat Orchestration Template) format, similar to AWS CloudFormation.

Core Concepts:

  • Stack: A collection of resources (servers, networks, storage).
  • Template: Defines infrastructure as code (IaC).
  • Resource: Individual OpenStack components such as Nova, Neutron, or Cinder.

Example: A Heat template can automatically deploy a multi-tier web application — creating web servers, load balancers, and databases without manual intervention.

12) What are the major OpenStack services and their roles in cloud management?

OpenStack comprises multiple modular services, each handling a specific domain of cloud functionality.

Service Role
Nova Compute (VM lifecycle management).
Neutron Networking and IP management.
Swift Object storage.
Cinder Block storage.
Keystone Authentication and authorization.
Glance Image management.
Horizon Web-based dashboard.
Heat Orchestration.
Ceilometer Monitoring and telemetry.
Barbican Key management service.

Example: When a new virtual machine is created, Nova provisions compute resources, Neutron configures networking, and Keystone validates the request.

13) What factors affect OpenStack performance and scalability?

OpenStack performance is influenced by several architectural and operational factors.

Key Factors:

  1. Hardware configuration (CPU, memory, and network bandwidth).
  2. Backend database performance for services like Nova and Neutron.
  3. Message queue latency (RabbitMQ or Qpid).
  4. Storage backend throughput (Ceph, NFS, etc.).
  5. Network topology and isolation mode.
  6. Load balancing across controller nodes.

Example: Deployments using Ceph for distributed storage often achieve higher scalability than traditional NFS-backed environments.

14) Explain the difference between scaling up and scaling out in OpenStack.

Scaling up means increasing the capacity of existing resources (e.g., adding CPU/RAM to a VM), while scaling out involves adding more nodes or instances to distribute the load.

Scaling Type Description Example
Scale Up Increase resource capacity of a single instance. Add more RAM to an existing VM.
Scale Out Add more instances to handle load. Launch multiple web servers using Heat.

Example: In OpenStack, scaling out is often managed through Heat templates that define an auto-scaling group.

15) What are the common challenges faced while deploying OpenStack?

Deploying OpenStack can be complex due to its modular architecture and dependencies.

Common Challenges:

  • Integration of multiple components.
  • Complex networking configurations.
  • Compatibility between versions.
  • Maintenance and upgrades.
  • Monitoring large-scale deployments.

Example: Networking misconfiguration in Neutron often leads to failed instance provisioning, making troubleshooting difficult for new administrators.

16) How can OpenStack be integrated with Ceph storage?

Ceph is a distributed storage system often used as a backend for OpenStack components like Cinder, Glance, and Nova.

Integration Points:

  • Cinder: Provides block storage using Ceph RBD.
  • Glance: Stores images directly in Ceph pools.
  • Nova: Uses Ceph volumes for VM disks.

Benefits of Using Ceph:

  • Scalability through horizontal node addition.
  • Data redundancy and self-healing.
  • Unified storage platform for block, object, and file storage.

Example: Using Ceph RBD with OpenStack Cinder improves fault tolerance and performance compared to local storage.

17) How can OpenStack be monitored effectively?

Monitoring is crucial for ensuring performance, stability, and SLA compliance.

Tools and Methods:

  • Ceilometer: Native telemetry service for metering and statistics.
  • Monasca: Advanced monitoring and alerting system.
  • Prometheus + Grafana: For real-time dashboards and visualization.
  • Zabbix/Nagios: External tools for service uptime and health monitoring.

Example: An administrator may use Prometheus exporters for Nova and Neutron metrics, visualized in Grafana for real-time cluster health insights.

18) What is High Availability (HA) in OpenStack and how is it achieved?

High Availability ensures that OpenStack services remain operational even during failures.

HA Strategies:

  1. Controller node clustering with Pacemaker and Corosync.
  2. Load balancing using HAProxy and Keepalived.
  3. Redundant databases with Galera Cluster.
  4. Message queue replication (RabbitMQ clustering).

Example: A three-node controller cluster can ensure continuous Keystone and Neutron availability even if one node fails.

19) How do you troubleshoot common OpenStack issues?

Effective troubleshooting involves systematic log analysis, component checks, and dependency verification.

Common Steps:

  1. Check service status using systemctl or openstack service list.
  2. Analyze log files (e.g., /var/log/nova/nova-compute.log).
  3. Verify database connectivity for backend services.
  4. Test API endpoints using openstack endpoint list.
  5. Restart failing services and monitor RabbitMQ queues.

Example: If an instance fails to spawn, checking nova-scheduler logs often reveals placement or resource allocation issues.

20) What are the different authentication methods supported by Keystone?

Keystone supports multiple authentication mechanisms for user and service validation.

Method Description Example Use Case
Token-based Default method using tokens for each session. Web dashboard access.
Username/Password Basic credentials authentication. CLI or Horizon login.
PKI Certificates Secure certificate-based access. Enterprise deployments.
LDAP/AD Integration External directory service integration. Corporate authentication.
OAuth / SAML Federated identity management. Hybrid cloud scenarios.

Example: An enterprise using Active Directory can integrate Keystone via LDAP for unified identity management across systems.

21) What is Kolla in OpenStack, and how does it simplify deployment?

Kolla is an OpenStack project that provides production-ready containers and deployment tools for running OpenStack services using Docker. It simplifies deployment by containerizing each OpenStack service, making it easier to manage, scale, and upgrade components independently.

Key Features:

  • Uses Kolla-ansible for automated deployment.
  • Enables rolling upgrades without downtime.
  • Provides lightweight, isolated containers for services like Nova, Neutron, and Keystone.

Example: Instead of managing OpenStack via traditional packages, Kolla allows a DevOps engineer to deploy all services via containerized stacks, improving portability and reducing maintenance complexity.

22) How does Magnum integrate container orchestration with OpenStack?

OpenStack Magnum is a service that provides APIs for provisioning and managing container orchestration engines such as Kubernetes, Docker Swarm, or Mesos on OpenStack infrastructure.

Working Principle:

  • Magnum uses Heat templates to create clusters.
  • Integrates with Nova, Neutron, and Cinder for compute, networking, and storage.
  • Supports Kubernetes clusters as first-class citizens in the OpenStack ecosystem.

Example: A developer can create a managed Kubernetes cluster in OpenStack using Magnum, allowing seamless container workloads alongside traditional virtual machines.

23) What is the difference between Nova and Ironic in OpenStack?

Feature Nova Ironic
Purpose Manages virtual machines. Manages bare metal servers.
Virtualization Requires a hypervisor (e.g., KVM, Xen). No hypervisor; direct hardware provisioning.
Use Case Cloud instances for virtualized workloads. Physical server management for high-performance workloads.
Integration Core compute component. Optional plugin for Nova.

Example: Ironic is ideal for HPC clusters where direct access to hardware is necessary, while Nova handles virtual machines for multi-tenant environments.

24) Explain the OpenStack release lifecycle and its importance.

OpenStack follows a six-month release cycle, with each version named alphabetically (e.g., Yoga, Zed, Antelope).

Lifecycle Stages:

  1. Development: New features are proposed and reviewed.
  2. Testing: Community-wide testing and bug fixing.
  3. Release: Stable version made publicly available.
  4. Maintenance: Security and critical patches provided.
  5. End of Life (EOL): Official support ends; users must upgrade.

Importance: Regular releases ensure compatibility with evolving technologies like Kubernetes, SDN, and Ceph. It also improves stability and security for production environments.

25) How do you back up and restore OpenStack components?

OpenStack backup and restoration require handling multiple databases, configurations, and image files.

Backup Strategy:

  • Database Backups: Use mysqldump for Keystone, Nova, Neutron, etc.
  • Configuration Files: Back up /etc/<service> directories.
  • Images and Volumes: Export from Glance and Cinder.
  • Automation: Use Ansible or Bacula for periodic full backups.

Example: To restore after a controller node failure, restore Keystone DB, copy configuration files, and re-register endpoints using CLI.

26) What are the security best practices for OpenStack deployment?

Security in OpenStack is multilayered, involving network, identity, and storage protection.

Best Practices:

  • Enable TLS/SSL for all API endpoints.
  • Use Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) policies in Keystone.
  • Apply Network isolation with VLANs or VXLANs.
  • Secure RabbitMQ using authentication and encryption.
  • Regularly patch and update all components.

Example: Using Barbican to store encryption keys and integrating LDAP for authentication ensures strong identity management in an enterprise deployment.

27) What are the key differences between OpenStack and Kubernetes?

Feature OpenStack Kubernetes
Primary Function Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS). Container orchestration (CaaS).
Resource Type Virtual machines. Containers and pods.
Storage Cinder, Swift. Persistent Volumes (PVs).
Networking Neutron. CNI plugins (e.g., Calico, Flannel).
Integration Provides virtual infrastructure. Runs on top of infrastructure (can be OpenStack).

Example: Kubernetes can be deployed on OpenStack (via Magnum) to manage containers using OpenStack’s compute and networking capabilities.

28) How can OpenStack be integrated into a hybrid or multi-cloud environment?

OpenStack supports hybrid cloud strategies through APIs, federation, and interoperability features.

Integration Approaches:

  1. Federated Identity: Keystone federation with SAML/OAuth for cross-cloud access.
  2. Interoperability APIs: Use of OpenStack APIs to integrate with AWS, Azure, or GCP.
  3. Hybrid Storage: Combine Ceph or Swift with external cloud storage.
  4. Workload Portability: Heat templates enable cross-cloud deployments.

Example: An enterprise may use OpenStack for private workloads and AWS for public scaling, linked through a federated identity provider.

29) How do you optimize OpenStack for large-scale environments?

Large-scale OpenStack environments require architectural optimization to maintain performance and reliability.

Optimization Techniques:

  • Deploy dedicated controller and compute clusters.
  • Use message queue clustering (RabbitMQ) for resilience.
  • Implement caching (Memcached) to reduce API latency.
  • Enable Ceph storage replication for data integrity.
  • Regularly tune Nova scheduler filters for efficient resource allocation.

Example: Telecom providers use multi-region OpenStack setups, balancing compute loads across thousands of instances using region and cell configurations.

30) What are some real-world use cases of OpenStack?

OpenStack is adopted globally across industries for private and hybrid cloud infrastructure.

Common Use Cases:

Industry Use Case
Telecommunications NFV (Network Function Virtualization) environments.
Academia Research and HPC clouds.
Government Secure, sovereign private clouds.
Enterprise IT Internal IaaS for application hosting.
Media On-demand rendering and transcoding workloads.

Example: CERN uses OpenStack to manage one of the world’s largest private clouds, supporting massive scientific data processing workloads.

31) How does OpenStack integrate with SDN solutions like OpenDaylight or OVN?

OpenStack integrates with Software-Defined Networking (SDN) controllers such as OpenDaylight or OVN (Open Virtual Network) through the Neutron plugin architecture. These SDN controllers provide advanced network programmability and centralized control.

Integration Flow:

  • Neutron communicates with the SDN controller through its ML2 (Modular Layer 2) plugin.
  • The SDN controller manages the physical and virtual network topologies, enforcing network policies dynamically.
  • Administrators gain features such as dynamic VLAN provisioning, QoS enforcement, and network automation.

Example: Using OpenDaylight with OpenStack enables a telecom operator to orchestrate thousands of virtual networks dynamically while maintaining fine-grained traffic control for NFV workloads.

32) What is the role of the Placement service in Nova scheduling?

The Placement service in OpenStack Nova determines the most suitable host for launching instances by tracking resource inventories (CPU, RAM, disk) and allocations across compute nodes.

Functions:

  1. Maintains a catalog of resources available in the cloud.
  2. Ensures efficient workload placement to avoid overcommitment.
  3. Works with Nova Scheduler to match requests to compute nodes.
  4. Supports NUMA awareness, affinity rules, and custom resource classes.

Example: When a user requests a large-memory VM, Placement ensures that the chosen compute node meets the resource requirements, reducing scheduling failures and improving overall cluster efficiency.

33) How does the OpenStack telemetry system evolve from Ceilometer to Gnocchi and Aodh?

Originally, Ceilometer handled all telemetry data collection, storage, and alarming. However, scalability issues led to a split into three specialized services:

Service Function Benefit
Ceilometer Data collection and metering. Efficient resource monitoring.
Gnocchi Time-series data storage and indexing. Scalable data handling.
Aodh Alarming and threshold notifications. Real-time alerting.

Example: Ceilometer collects CPU usage metrics, stores them in Gnocchi for historical analysis, and Aodh triggers alerts when thresholds (e.g., CPU > 80%) are breached — ensuring proactive cloud management.

34) Explain the advantages of containerized OpenStack services with examples.

Containerizing OpenStack services provides operational simplicity, scalability, and isolation. Each OpenStack component (Nova, Neutron, Keystone, etc.) runs in its own container, improving maintainability.

Advantages:

  • Simplified upgrades and rollbacks.
  • Consistent environments across development and production.
  • Reduced resource overhead compared to full VMs.
  • Easy horizontal scaling using Docker and Kubernetes.

Example: With Kolla-Ansible, operators can deploy containerized OpenStack services. If a Neutron container fails, it can be restarted independently without affecting Keystone or Nova — improving uptime and reliability.

35) What are the typical API endpoints in an OpenStack environment?

Each OpenStack service exposes a RESTful API endpoint for programmatic interaction. These endpoints are registered and managed by Keystone.

Service Endpoint Example Function
Keystone /v3/auth/tokens Authentication and identity.
Nova /v2.1/servers Manage compute instances.
Neutron /v2.0/networks Create and manage networks.
Cinder /v3/volumes Manage block storage.
Glance /v2/images Manage disk images.
Heat /v1/<tenant_id>/stacks Orchestration and automation.

Example: Developers can integrate OpenStack APIs into CI/CD pipelines to automate provisioning of infrastructure directly from code repositories.

36) How do rolling upgrades work in OpenStack Kolla-Ansible?

Rolling upgrades in Kolla-Ansible enable seamless version upgrades without service downtime. Each service container is updated one by one while maintaining operational continuity.

Upgrade Workflow:

  1. Pull latest container images for the new version.
  2. Stop and replace old containers sequentially.
  3. Run database migrations safely.
  4. Verify service health before proceeding to the next component.

Example: During an upgrade from OpenStack Zed to Antelope, the controller node services (e.g., Keystone, Neutron) are upgraded in sequence while compute nodes continue running — ensuring zero disruption to end users.

37) What are the key logs to analyze when troubleshooting OpenStack failures?

Each OpenStack service maintains dedicated log files under /var/log/<service>/. Understanding these logs is essential for root cause analysis.

Service Log File Purpose
Nova nova-compute.log, nova-scheduler.log Compute lifecycle errors.
Neutron neutron-server.log Network provisioning and DHCP issues.
Keystone keystone.log Authentication or token failures.
Glance glance-api.log Image upload/download issues.
Cinder cinder-volume.log Storage allocation or volume attach failures.

Example: When an instance fails to launch, analyzing nova-scheduler.log often reveals resource allocation mismatches or placement issues.

38) How can OpenStack achieve compliance with GDPR or security standards?

Compliance is achieved by implementing security, privacy, and audit controls across the OpenStack ecosystem.

Best Practices for Compliance:

  • Enable data encryption for Swift and Cinder volumes.
  • Use Barbican for secure key management.
  • Implement access auditing and token expiration policies in Keystone.
  • Configure data retention policies for user data.
  • Regularly update services to mitigate CVEs.

Example: Financial organizations use encrypted storage via Barbican and Keystone auditing to ensure GDPR compliance by securing personal and transaction data.

39) What are the latest features introduced in the recent OpenStack release?

As of the OpenStack 2025 “Dalmatian” release, key enhancements include:

Area New Feature Benefit
Nova Live migration with NUMA pinning. Improved performance for large workloads.
Neutron Enhanced SR-IOV support. Better network throughput.
Cinder Snapshot-based backups. Faster disaster recovery.
Keystone Multi-factor authentication (MFA). Stronger identity security.
Heat Template versioning support. Easier orchestration management.

Example: Organizations running large-scale AI workloads benefit from NUMA-aware scheduling introduced in Nova, ensuring optimal performance for high-memory instances.

40) What factors should be considered when choosing a hypervisor for OpenStack?

Choosing the right hypervisor impacts performance, licensing, and compatibility in an OpenStack environment.

Factor Description Example
Performance Low overhead and high efficiency. KVM preferred for Linux environments.
Compatibility Support for hardware virtualization (VT-x, AMD-V). Hyper-V for Windows integration.
Licensing Open-source vs. commercial. KVM is license-free; VMware ESXi is paid.
Ecosystem Integration Support for Nova drivers. Xen and KVM widely integrated.
Security Isolation mechanisms and patch maturity. KVM offers robust SELinux integration.

Example: Enterprises running mixed Windows-Linux workloads may opt for Hyper-V integration, while cloud-native deployments commonly choose KVM for its performance and open-source nature.

🔍 Top OpenStack Interview Questions with Real-World Scenarios and Strategic Responses

Below are 10 realistic OpenStack interview-style questions with expectations and example answers. Responses include a balanced mix of knowledge-based, behavioral, and situational questions. No contraction has been used, and each required phrase appears only once.

1) What are the core components of OpenStack and what role does each component play?

Expected from candidate: Demonstrate clear understanding of the OpenStack architecture and major services.

Example answer: “The core components of OpenStack include Nova for compute, Neutron for networking, Cinder for block storage, Swift for object storage, Keystone for identity services, Glance for image management, and Horizon for the dashboard interface. Each component is designed to operate independently but integrates to form a complete cloud platform.”

2) How do you ensure high availability in an OpenStack environment?

Expected from candidate: Show knowledge of redundancy, failover mechanisms, and architectural best practices.

Example answer: “To ensure high availability, I would deploy redundant controller nodes, use database clustering, enable message queue redundancy, and configure load balancers for API endpoints. I would also implement distributed storage backends and continuous monitoring to minimize downtime risks.”

3) Describe a challenging OpenStack deployment you have managed. What made it difficult and how did you resolve it?

Expected from candidate: Provide real experience, problem-solving skills, and resilience.

Example answer: “In my previous role, I managed a deployment where Neutron networking frequently became unstable due to agent failures. I resolved the issue by adjusting the ML2 plugin configuration, implementing proper L2 agent monitoring, and redesigning the network to reduce dependency on unnecessary virtual switches.”

4) How would you troubleshoot a situation where instances cannot obtain IP addresses from the DHCP agent?

Expected from candidate: Demonstrate structured troubleshooting, familiarity with Neutron DHCP, logs, and agents.

Example answer: “I would begin by checking the Neutron DHCP agent status and validating that the DHCP namespaces exist. I would verify the subnet configuration, security group rules, and network connectivity between the compute hosts and controller. I would also examine the neutron-dhcp-agent logs for misconfigurations or service failures.”

5) How do you handle scope creep or last-minute feature requests during an OpenStack implementation?

Expected from candidate: Show project management discipline and ability to manage stakeholder expectations.

Example answer: “At a previous position, I addressed scope creep by documenting each new feature request, evaluating its impact, and discussing trade-offs with stakeholders. I ensured that priorities were aligned with project goals before proceeding with any changes.”

6) How would you secure an OpenStack deployment in a multi-tenant environment?

Expected from candidate: Understand security best practices, isolation, RBAC, and network controls.

Example answer: “I would secure the environment through strong Keystone authentication policies, implementation of role-based access control, network segmentation using Neutron, encryption of data at rest and in transit, and frequent updates to patch vulnerabilities.”

7) Describe a scenario in which you had to collaborate with a cross-functional team to resolve an OpenStack issue.

Expected from candidate: Demonstrate teamwork, communication, and problem-solving.

Example answer: “At my previous job, a performance issue affected several compute nodes. I collaborated with the systems engineering team to analyze hardware metrics and with the networking team to verify throughput. Together we identified a faulty network interface card that was saturating traffic and resolved the problem.”

8) You notice that an OpenStack compute node is reporting as ‘down’. How do you approach resolving this incident?

Expected from candidate: Incident troubleshooting, Nova knowledge, and diagnostic methodology.

Example answer: “I would first check the Nova compute service status on the affected node, verify communication with the controller, review logs for heartbeats, and ensure that message queue connectivity is intact. I would also test hardware-level health to ensure the issue is not physical.”

9) How have you prioritized your tasks when working under pressure with multiple OpenStack-related deadlines?

Expected from candidate: Time management, prioritization, and reliability.

Example answer: “In my last role, I prioritized tasks by assessing urgency, impact, and resource dependencies. I communicated timelines transparently with stakeholders and ensured that critical services received immediate attention while documenting longer-term tasks for structured follow-up.”

10) Imagine that a customer reports slow performance when launching new instances. How would you determine the cause?

Expected from candidate: Analytical skills, multi-layer troubleshooting, and understanding of compute scheduling.

Example answer: “I would analyze the Nova scheduler logs, review resource utilization on compute nodes, inspect storage backend latency, and check for network bottlenecks. I would also validate that the flavor definitions match available resources and that no host aggregates are impaired.”

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