Which statement correctly contrasts hot swapping and cold swapping?

• A. Hot swap allows replacement without powering down; cold swap requires power off.
• B. Hot swap is only for software components.
• C. Cold swap requires power off and hot swap allows replacement while powered.
• D. Hot swap allows replacement without powering down.

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is the power state during replacement: whether you can swap a component while the system is running (hot swapping) or you must power it down first (cold swapping). The statement that hot swapping allows replacement without powering down captures that essential capability—the defining difference from cold swapping, which requires the system to be powered off to avoid damage or data loss. In real systems, hot-swappable components are designed to be removed and replaced while powered on, such as certain drives or modules in servers, with proper procedures to prevent issues like data corruption or power transients. Cold swapping, by contrast, means you must shut the system down before performing the replacement. So saying that hot swapping lets you replace something without powering down directly highlights the key contrast between the two approaches.