DEA-C01 Data Operations and Support Practice Question
A company uses Amazon EMR to process large datasets stored in Amazon S3. The data engineer notices that EMR tasks are failing with 'DiskOutOfSpace' errors. The cluster uses m5.xlarge instances with 1 EBS volume of 64 GB. What is the MOST cost-effective solution to resolve this issue?
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
✓
Increase the EBS storage volume size for each instance and use spot instances for task nodes.
Increasing the EBS volume size provides additional disk space per instance, directly resolving the disk out-of-space error. Using spot instances for task nodes reduces cost. Option A is incorrect because mixing on-demand and spot instances does not increase per-instance disk space. Option C is incorrect because switching to D2 instances is more expensive and may not be necessary. Option D is incorrect because adding more task instances distributes the workload but does not increase the disk space available to each instance, so individual tasks may still fail due to disk space.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a mix of on-demand and spot instances for core nodes.
Why it's wrong here
Does not increase disk capacity.
- ✓
Increase the EBS storage volume size for each instance and use spot instances for task nodes.
Why this is correct
More disk space solves the issue; spot instances reduce cost.
- ✗
Switch to D2 instances which have more instance store volume.
Why it's wrong here
D2 instances are more expensive and may have less EBS flexibility.
- ✗
Increase the number of task instances to distribute the workload.
Why it's wrong here
Disk space is per instance; more instances may not help if each still runs out of space.
Visual reference
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
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