DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
A company runs an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL DB instance with Multi-AZ enabled. The primary instance is in us-east-1a and the standby is in us-east-1b. During a routine audit, the security team discovers that database connections are being terminated unexpectedly. The database administrator reviews the RDS events and sees an event: 'A Multi-AZ failover has been completed.' What step should be taken to determine the cause of this failover?
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
✓
Review RDS events and AWS CloudTrail logs for API calls related to the failover
Reviewing RDS events and AWS CloudTrail logs is the correct step because these services record detailed information about the failover, including any API calls that may have triggered the failover or underlying issues. Option A is incorrect because CloudWatch metrics show resource utilization (CPU, memory) but do not directly indicate the cause of a failover. Option B is incorrect because maintenance windows are scheduled events; although they may cause failovers, simply checking the console for maintenance windows does not provide a definitive cause for an unexpected failover. Option D is incorrect because the describe-db-instances CLI command shows the current status of instances (e.g., whether the standby is available) but does not provide historical information about why the failover occurred.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Examine Amazon CloudWatch metrics for increased CPU or memory usage
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch metrics show CPU or memory usage but do not directly indicate the reason for the failover.
- ✗
Check the RDS console for maintenance windows
Why it's wrong here
The RDS console shows maintenance windows, but unexpected failovers are not necessarily due to maintenance; RDS events and CloudTrail provide more direct information.
- ✓
Review RDS events and AWS CloudTrail logs for API calls related to the failover
Why this is correct
RDS events and CloudTrail logs capture API calls and system events that can reveal the exact cause of the failover, such as a manual failover request or underlying hardware issues.
- ✗
Run the describe-db-instances CLI command to check the status of the standby
Why it's wrong here
The describe-db-instances command shows current state but not the history of why a failover occurred.
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JA
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.