SAA-C03 practice questions 181–190

1. Question 181 · 1017 in bank

   A medical research lab produces data that is related to a new study. The lab wants to make the data available with minimum latency to clinics across the country for their on-premises, file-based applications. The data files are stored in an Amazon S3 bucket that has read-only permissions for each clinic. What should a solutions architect recommend to meet these requirements?

   • ADeploy an AWS Storage Gateway file gateway as a virtual machine (VM) on premises at each clinic
   • BMigrate the files to each clinic’s on-premises applications by using AWS DataSync for processing.
   • CDeploy an AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway as a virtual machine (VM) on premises at each clinic.
   • DAttach an Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) file system to each clinic’s on-premises servers.

   Show answer

   Answer: A

   Explanation

   A. Deploy an AWS Storage Gateway file gateway as a virtual machine (VM) on premises at each clinic AWS Storage Gateway is a service that connects an on-premises software appliance with cloud-based storage to provide seamless and secure integration between an organization's on-premises IT environment and AWS's storage infrastructure. By deploying a file gateway as a virtual machine on each clinic's premises, the medical research lab can provide low-latency access to the data stored in the S3 bucket while maintaining read-only permissions for each clinic. This solution allows the clinics to access the data files directly from their on-premises file-based applications without the need for data transfer or migration.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — mhmt4438

   References

   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation

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2. Question 182 · 1017 in bank

   A company is using a content management system that runs on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The EC2 instance contains both the web server and the database software. The company must make its website platform highly available and must enable the website to scale to meet user demand. What should a solutions architect recommend to meet these requirements?

   • AMove the database to Amazon RDS, and enable automatic backups. Manually launch another EC2 instance in the same Availability Zone. Configure an Application Load Balancer in the Availability Zone, and set the two instances as targets.
   • BMigrate the database to an Amazon Aurora instance with a read replica in the same Availability Zone as the existing EC2 instance. Manually launch another EC2 instance in the same Availability Zone. Configure an Application Load Balancer, and set the two EC2 instances as targets.
   • CMove the database to Amazon Aurora with a read replica in another Availability Zone. Create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from the EC2 instance. Configure an Application Load Balancer in two Availability Zones. Attach an Auto Scaling group that uses the AMI across two Availability Zones.
   • DMove the database to a separate EC2 instance, and schedule backups to Amazon S3. Create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from the original EC2 instance. Configure an Application Load Balancer in two Availability Zones. Attach an Auto Scaling group that uses the AMI across two Availability Zones.

   Show answer

   Answer: C

   Explanation

   C. Move the database to Amazon Aurora with a read replica in another Availability Zone. Create an Amazon Machine Image (AMI) from the EC2 instance. Configure an Application Load Balancer in two Availability Zones. Attach an Auto Scaling group that uses the AMI across two Availability Zones. This approach will provide both high availability and scalability for the website platform. By moving the database to Amazon Aurora with a read replica in another availability zone, it will provide a failover option for the database. The use of an Application Load Balancer and an Auto Scaling group across two availability zones allows for automatic scaling of the website to meet increased user demand. Additionally, creating an AMI from the original EC2 instance allows for easy replication of the instance in case of failure.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — mhmt4438

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3. Question 183 · 1017 in bank

   A company is launching an application on AWS. The application uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to direct traffic to at least two Amazon EC2 instances in a single target group. The instances are in an Auto Scaling group for each environment. The company requires a development environment and a production environment. The production environment will have periods of high traffic. Which solution will configure the development environment MOST cost-effectively?

   • AReconfigure the target group in the development environment to have only one EC2 instance as a target.
   • BChange the ALB balancing algorithm to least outstanding requests.
   • CReduce the size of the EC2 instances in both environments.
   • DReduce the maximum number of EC2 instances in the development environment’s Auto Scaling group.

   Show answer

   Answer: D

   Explanation

   D. Reduce the maximum number of EC2 instances in the development environment’s Auto Scaling group This option will configure the development environment in the most cost-effective way as it reduces the number of instances running in the development environment and therefore reduces the cost of running the application. The development environment typically requires less resources than the production environment, and it is unlikely that the development environment will have periods of high traffic that would require a large number of instances. By reducing the maximum number of instances in the development environment's Auto Scaling group, the company can save on costs while still maintaining a functional development environment.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — mhmt4438

   References

   • AWS documentation

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4. Question 184 · 1017 in bank

   A company runs a web application on Amazon EC2 instances in multiple Availability Zones. The EC2 instances are in private subnets. A solutions architect implements an internet-facing Application Load Balancer (ALB) and specifies the EC2 instances as the target group. However, the internet traffic is not reaching the EC2 instances. How should the solutions architect reconfigure the architecture to resolve this issue?

   • AReplace the ALB with a Network Load Balancer. Configure a NAT gateway in a public subnet to allow internet traffic.
   • BMove the EC2 instances to public subnets. Add a rule to the EC2 instances’ security groups to allow outbound traffic to 0.0.0.0/0.
   • CUpdate the route tables for the EC2 instances’ subnets to send 0.0.0.0/0 traffic through the internet gateway route. Add a rule to the EC2 instances’ security groups to allow outbound traffic to 0.0.0.0/0.
   • DCreate public subnets in each Availability Zone. Associate the public subnets with the ALB. Update the route tables for the public subnets with a route to the private subnets.

   Show answer

   Answer: D

   Explanation

   I think either the question or the answers are not formulated correctly because of this document: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/prescriptive-guidance/latest/load-balancer-stickiness/subnets-routing.html A - Might be possible but it's quite impractical B - Not needed as the setup described should work as is provided the SGs of the EC2 instances accept traffic from the ALB C - Update the route tables for the EC2 instances’ subnets to send 0.0.0.0/0 traffic through the internet gateway route - not needed as the EC2 instances would receive the traffic from the ALB ENIs. Add a rule to the EC2 instances’ security groups to allow outbound traffic to 0.0.0.0/0 - the default behaviour of the SG is to allow outbound traffic only. D - Create public subnets in each Availability Zone. Associate the public subnets with the ALB - if it's a internet facing ALB these should already be in place. Update the route tables for the public subnets with a route to the private subnets - no need as the local prefix entry in the route tables would take care of this point I'm 110% sure the question or answers or both are wrong. Prove me wrong! :)

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — ktulu2602

   References

   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation
   • repost.aws documentation
   • AWS documentation

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5. Question 185 · 1017 in bank

   Select 2

   A company has deployed a database in Amazon RDS for MySQL. Due to increased transactions, the database support team is reporting slow reads against the DB instance and recommends adding a read replica. Which combination of actions should a solutions architect take before implementing this change? (Choose two.)

   • AEnable binlog replication on the RDS primary node.
   • BChoose a failover priority for the source DB instance.
   • CAllow long-running transactions to complete on the source DB instance.
   • DCreate a global table and specify the AWS Regions where the table will be available.
   • EEnable automatic backups on the source instance by setting the backup retention period to a value other than 0.

   Show answer

   Answer: CE

   Explanation

   C,E "An active, long-running transaction can slow the process of creating the read replica. We recommend that you wait for long-running transactions to complete before creating a read replica. If you create multiple read replicas in parallel from the same source DB instance, Amazon RDS takes only one snapshot at the start of the first create action. When creating a read replica, there are a few things to consider. First, you must enable automatic backups on the source DB instance by setting the backup retention period to a value other than 0. This requirement also applies to a read replica that is the source DB instance for another read replica" https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/USER_ReadRepl.html

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — KelvinEM

   References

   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation

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6. Question 186 · 1017 in bank

   A company runs analytics software on Amazon EC2 instances. The software accepts job requests from users to process data that has been uploaded to Amazon S3. Users report that some submitted data is not being processed Amazon CloudWatch reveals that the EC2 instances have a consistent CPU utilization at or near 100%. The company wants to improve system performance and scale the system based on user load. What should a solutions architect do to meet these requirements?

   • ACreate a copy of the instance. Place all instances behind an Application Load Balancer.
   • BCreate an S3 VPC endpoint for Amazon S3. Update the software to reference the endpoint.
   • CStop the EC2 instances. Modify the instance type to one with a more powerful CPU and more memory. Restart the instances.
   • DRoute incoming requests to Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS). Configure an EC2 Auto Scaling group based on queue size. Update the software to read from the queue.

   Show answer

   Answer: D

   Explanation

   D. Route incoming requests to Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS). Configure an EC2 Auto Scaling group based on queue size. Update the software to read from the queue. By routing incoming requests to Amazon SQS, the company can decouple the job requests from the processing instances. This allows them to scale the number of instances based on the size of the queue, providing more resources when needed. Additionally, using an Auto Scaling group based on the queue size will automatically scale the number of instances up or down depending on the workload. Updating the software to read from the queue will allow it to process the job requests in a more efficient manner, improving the performance of the system.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — mhmt4438

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7. Question 187 · 1017 in bank

   A company is implementing a shared storage solution for a media application that is hosted in the AWS Cloud. The company needs the ability to use SMB clients to access data. The solution must be fully managed. Which AWS solution meets these requirements?

   • ACreate an AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway. Create a file share that uses the required client protocol. Connect the application server to the file share.
   • BCreate an AWS Storage Gateway tape gateway. Configure tapes to use Amazon S3. Connect the application server to the tape gateway.
   • CCreate an Amazon EC2 Windows instance. Install and configure a Windows file share role on the instance. Connect the application server to the file share.
   • DCreate an Amazon FSx for Windows File Server file system. Attach the file system to the origin server. Connect the application server to the file system.

   Show answer

   Answer: D

   Explanation

   A. involves using Storage Gateway, but it does not specifically mention support for SMB clients. It may not meet the requirement of using SMB clients to access data. B. involves using Storage Gateway with tape gateway configuration, which is primarily used for archiving data to S3. It does not provide native support for SMB clients to access data. C. involves manually setting up and configuring a Windows file share on an EC2 Windows instance. While it allows SMB clients to access data, it is not a fully managed solution as it requires manual setup and maintenance. D. involves creating an FSx for Windows File Server file system, which is a fully managed Windows file system that supports SMB clients. It provides an easy-to-use shared storage solution with native SMB support. Based on the requirements of using SMB clients and needing a fully managed solution, option D is the most suitable choice.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — cookieMr

   References

   • AWS documentation

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8. Question 188 · 1017 in bank

   A company is designing an application. The application uses an AWS Lambda function to receive information through Amazon API Gateway and to store the information in an Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL database. During the proof-of-concept stage, the company has to increase the Lambda quotas significantly to handle the high volumes of data that the company needs to load into the database. A solutions architect must recommend a new design to improve scalability and minimize the configuration effort. Which solution will meet these requirements?

   • ARefactor the Lambda function code to Apache Tomcat code that runs on Amazon EC2 instances. Connect the database by using native Java Database Connectivity (JDBC) drivers.
   • BChange the platform from Aurora to Amazon DynamoDProvision a DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) cluster. Use the DAX client SDK to point the existing DynamoDB API calls at the DAX cluster.
   • CSet up two Lambda functions. Configure one function to receive the information. Configure the other function to load the information into the database. Integrate the Lambda functions by using Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS).
   • DSet up two Lambda functions. Configure one function to receive the information. Configure the other function to load the information into the database. Integrate the Lambda functions by using an Amazon Simple Queue Service (Amazon SQS) queue.

   Show answer

   Answer: D

   Explanation

   A - refactoring can be a solution, BUT requires a LOT of effort - not the answer B - DynamoDB is NoSQL and Aurora is SQL, so it requires a DB migration... again a LOT of effort, so no the answer C and D are similar in structure, but... C uses SNS, which would notify the 2nd Lambda function... provoking the same bottleneck... not the solution D uses SQS, so the 2nd lambda function can go to the queue when responsive to keep with the DB load process. Usually the app decoupling helps with the performance improvement by distributing load. In this case, the bottleneck is solved by uses queues... so D is the answer.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — 123jhl0

   References

   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation

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9. Question 189 · 1017 in bank

   A company’s security team requests that network traffic be captured in VPC Flow Logs. The logs will be frequently accessed for 90 days and then accessed intermittently. What should a solutions architect do to meet these requirements when configuring the logs?

   • AUse Amazon CloudWatch as the target. Set the CloudWatch log group with an expiration of 90 days
   • BUse Amazon Kinesis as the target. Configure the Kinesis stream to always retain the logs for 90 days.
   • CUse AWS CloudTrail as the target. Configure CloudTrail to save to an Amazon S3 bucket, and enable S3 Intelligent-Tiering.
   • DUse Amazon S3 as the target. Enable an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition the logs to S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) after 90 days.

   Show answer

   Answer: D

   Explanation

   A. suggests using CloudWatch as the target for VPC Flow Logs. However, it does not provide a mechanism for managing the retention of the logs for 90 days and then accessing them intermittently. B. suggests using Kinesis as the target for VPC Flow Logs. While it can retain the logs for 90 days, it does not address the requirement for intermittent access to the logs. C. suggests using CloudTrail as the target for VPC Flow Logs. However, CloudTrail is designed for auditing and monitoring API activity, not for capturing network traffic logs. It does not meet the requirement of capturing VPC Flow Logs. D. suggests using S3 as the target for VPC Flow Logs and leveraging S3 Lifecycle policies to transition the logs to a cost-effective storage class after 90 days. It meets the requirement of retaining the logs for 90 days and provides the flexibility for intermittent access while optimizing storage costs.

   Source: Adapted from community discussion — cookieMr

   References

   • AWS documentation
   • AWS documentation

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10. Question 190 · 1017 in bank

    An Amazon EC2 instance is located in a private subnet in a new VPC. This subnet does not have outbound internet access, but the EC2 instance needs the ability to download monthly security updates from an outside vendor. What should a solutions architect do to meet these requirements?

    • ACreate an internet gateway, and attach it to the VPC. Configure the private subnet route table to use the internet gateway as the default route.
    • BCreate a NAT gateway, and place it in a public subnet. Configure the private subnet route table to use the NAT gateway as the default route.
    • CCreate a NAT instance, and place it in the same subnet where the EC2 instance is located. Configure the private subnet route table to use the NAT instance as the default route.
    • DCreate an internet gateway, and attach it to the VPC. Create a NAT instance, and place it in the same subnet where the EC2 instance is located. Configure the private subnet route table to use the internet gateway as the default route.

    Show answer

    Answer: B

    Explanation

    B. Create a NAT gateway, and place it in a public subnet. Configure the private subnet route table to use the NAT gateway as the default route. This approach will allow the EC2 instance to access the internet and download the monthly security updates while still being located in a private subnet. By creating a NAT gateway and placing it in a public subnet, it will allow the instances in the private subnet to access the internet through the NAT gateway. And then, configure the private subnet route table to use the NAT gateway as the default route. This will ensure that all outbound traffic is directed through the NAT gateway, allowing the EC2 instance to access the internet while still maintaining the security of the private subnet.

    Source: Adapted from community discussion — mhmt4438

    References

    • AWS documentation

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SAA-C03 practice, question 181. 1017 questions available.