Which statement best describes test failover in a MetroCluster environment?

• A. It is a full production cutover without rollback.
• B. It is never performed in production.
• C. It requires decommissioning the site.
• D. It is a controlled failover/failback using a defined runbook, with data integrity verification and client connectivity validation.

Answer: (D)

In a MetroCluster environment, test failover is a planned, controlled procedure designed to validate DR readiness without risking ad hoc mistakes. It uses a predefined runbook that orchestrates failing over to the remote site and then failing back after validation. The key steps are data integrity verification and client connectivity validation. Data integrity verification ensures the replicated data at the secondary site is consistent and up to date, so there’s no data loss or corruption after the failover. Client connectivity validation confirms that applications and users can reach services at the new site and operate normally during the test. After successful validation, the process is reversed to fail back to the original site, again following the runbook. This controlled, repeatable approach with explicit validation is what makes the described statement the best fit.