The last available backup is from 12 months ago. Which of the following should an administrator perform prior to applying a critical application patch to a guest OS? (Choose two.)

Performing a full backup before applying a critical application patch to a guest operating system is essential because it ensures that all data, system settings, and configurations are preserved in their entirety. This comprehensive backup allows for the complete restoration of the guest OS to its current state if the patch introduces issues, such as instability or incompatibility with existing applications. In environments where downtime can significantly impact operations, having a full backup provides a reliable safety net.

With the last available backup being 12 months old, a full backup is the only guarantee that all recent changes, security configurations, and application updates are saved and can be restored if needed. This is particularly critical when dealing with system-level patches that might affect various applications, services, or security settings within the OS.

In addition to the full backup, creating a virtual machine snapshot is also a prudent step. A snapshot captures the current state of the entire virtual machine at a given point in time, including its disk state, memory state, and device status. This allows for a quick rollback to the pre-patch state without having to perform a full restore from a backup, which can be time-consuming. This is particularly useful when testing updates, as it offers a more granular level of recovery while maintaining the existing environment.