DBS-C01 Aurora Storage Architecture Practice Question
A company is using Amazon Aurora MySQL-Compatible Edition. The database administrator notices that the Aurora cluster has a high number of binary log (binlog) files in the cluster volume, consuming significant storage. The binlog retention period is set to 24 hours. What is the most efficient way to reduce the storage consumed by binlog files without compromising point-in-time recovery (PITR)?
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
✓
Disable binary logging on the Aurora cluster by setting the binlog_format parameter to OFF.
Aurora MySQL does not rely on binlogs for point-in-time recovery (PITR); it uses its own storage-based recovery. Disabling binary logging eliminates binlog generation entirely, saving storage and reducing I/O overhead. Option A is incorrect because manually deleting binlog files is not recommended by AWS and does not address the root cause. Option B is incorrect because exporting binlogs to Amazon S3 does not reduce the storage consumed within the cluster volume. Option D is incorrect because reducing the retention period only limits how long binlogs are kept, but binlogs still accumulate and consume storage until they expire.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Manually delete binlog files from the DB instance using the 'PURGE BINARY LOGS' command.
Why it's wrong here
Manual deletion is possible but not efficient; Aurora automatically manages binlogs based on retention.
- ✗
Use the 'Binary Log Export' feature to export binlogs to Amazon S3 and delete them from the cluster.
Why it's wrong here
Exporting to S3 does not reduce storage consumption on the cluster volume immediately.
- ✓
Disable binary logging on the Aurora cluster by setting the binlog_format parameter to OFF.
Why this is correct
Aurora does not require binlogs for PITR; disabling them saves storage and improves performance.
- ✗
Reduce the binlog retention period to 1 hour.
Why it's wrong here
Reducing retention may not free enough storage if binlogs are large; also, binlogs are not needed for PITR in Aurora.
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 |
Go deeper
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