DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company is running an Amazon RDS for MySQL DB instance. The database performance has degraded over time. The DBA suspects that the issue is due to a high number of connections that are in a 'sleep' state from a legacy application. What is the MOST effective solution to automatically terminate idle connections?
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
✓
Modify the 'wait_timeout' parameter in the DB parameter group to a lower value.
The 'wait_timeout' parameter in MySQL automatically closes idle connections after the specified number of seconds. Reducing this value from the default (28800 seconds) will terminate sleeping connections sooner and free up resources. Option B is incorrect because increasing 'max_connections' does not terminate idle connections; it only allows more connections, which could worsen the problem. Option C is incorrect because Amazon RDS Proxy manages connection pooling and reduces connection overhead but does not automatically terminate idle connections; it reuses connections but does not kill them. Option D is incorrect because running 'SHOW PROCESSLIST' and manually killing connections is not automated and requires human intervention, so it is not the most effective solution.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Modify the 'wait_timeout' parameter in the DB parameter group to a lower value.
Why this is correct
This parameter controls how long the server waits for activity on a non-interactive connection before closing it.
- ✗
Increase the 'max_connections' parameter to accommodate more idle connections.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing max_connections only allows more connections, it does not terminate idle ones.
- ✗
Enable Amazon RDS Proxy to manage connection pooling and automatically close idle connections.
Why it's wrong here
RDS Proxy pools connections but does not terminate idle ones based on sleep time.
- ✗
Use a script to run 'SHOW PROCESSLIST' and manually kill idle connections.
Why it's wrong here
Manual intervention is not automated and not scalable.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DBS-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 DBS-C01 exam.