DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A company runs an Amazon EMR cluster that processes data from S3 and writes results back to S3. The cluster uses Spot Instances for task nodes. Some tasks are failing due to Spot Instance interruptions. What is the BEST way to handle this without manual intervention?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Enable automatic node replacement in the EMR cluster
Amazon EMR's automatic node replacement feature automatically detects when a Spot Instance is interrupted and launches a replacement instance, ensuring the cluster continues processing without manual intervention. Option B is incorrect because manually relaunching the cluster requires human intervention and is not automated. Option C is incorrect because while checkpointing to S3 can help recover data after failures, it does not automatically replace interrupted instances. Option D is incorrect because using only On-Demand instances eliminates cost savings from Spot Instances and does not address the interruption handling problem—it avoids interruptions entirely by not using Spot Instances, but the best approach is to handle interruptions automatically with automatic node replacement.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Enable automatic node replacement in the EMR cluster
Why this is correct
EMR can automatically replace Spot Instances that are interrupted.
- ✗
Manually relaunch the cluster after failures
Why it's wrong here
Manual intervention is not automated.
- ✗
Configure the application to checkpoint to S3 every few minutes
Why it's wrong here
Checkpointing helps resume but doesn't prevent failure.
- ✗
Use only On-Demand instances for task nodes
Why it's wrong here
Increases cost; not the best option.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DEA-C01 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the DEA-C01 exam.