DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company runs an Amazon Aurora MySQL database. The database experiences a sudden spike in connections and then becomes unresponsive. The DB instance has a db.r5.large class with 8 GB memory. The maximum connections parameter is set to the default. Which is the most likely cause of the unresponsiveness?
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
✓
The number of connections exceeded the max_connections limit
The default max_connections for Aurora MySQL is based on memory, and with 8 GB, it is about 800. A spike exceeding that can exhaust resources. Option A is wrong because storage auto-scaling is seamless. Option B is wrong because burst balance applies to gp2 volumes, but Aurora uses cluster storage. Option D is wrong because replica lag would affect reads, not make the instance unresponsive.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The DB instance's EBS burst balance dropped to zero
Why it's wrong here
Aurora does not use EBS; it uses cluster storage.
- ✗
The storage volume ran out of allocated space
Why it's wrong here
Aurora automatically scales storage, so this is unlikely.
- ✓
The number of connections exceeded the max_connections limit
Why this is correct
Exceeding max_connections can cause the database to reject connections and become unresponsive.
- ✗
A read replica had high replication lag
Why it's wrong here
Replica lag does not affect the primary instance's responsiveness.
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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.