- A
Examine Amazon CloudWatch metrics for increased CPU or memory usage
Why wrong: High resource usage may cause issues but does not directly cause failover.
- B
Check the RDS console for maintenance windows
Why wrong: Maintenance windows are scheduled; unexpected failover may not be due to maintenance.
- C
Review RDS events and AWS CloudTrail logs for API calls related to the failover
CloudTrail logs record actions like ModifyDBInstance that could trigger failover.
- D
Run the describe-db-instances CLI command to check the status of the standby
Why wrong: The command shows status but not the reason for failover.
DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
This DBS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of management and operations. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"primary"Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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
Option B is correct because RDS events and CloudTrail logs provide detailed information about failover causes. Option A is wrong because the RDS console shows events but not detailed causes. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch metrics show performance but not failover reasons. Option D is wrong because the RDS API describes instances, not failover causes.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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
High resource usage may cause issues but does not directly cause failover.
- ✗
Check the RDS console for maintenance windows
Why it's wrong here
Maintenance windows are scheduled; unexpected failover may not be due to maintenance.
- ✓
Review RDS events and AWS CloudTrail logs for API calls related to the failover
Why this is correct
CloudTrail logs record actions like ModifyDBInstance that could trigger failover.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Run the describe-db-instances CLI command to check the status of the standby
Why it's wrong here
The command shows status but not the reason for failover.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The command shows status but not the reason for failover.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DBS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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Management and Operations — study guide chapter
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Management and Operations practice questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DBS-C01 question test?
Management and Operations — This question tests Management and Operations — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Review RDS events and AWS CloudTrail logs for API calls related to the failover — Option B is correct because RDS events and CloudTrail logs provide detailed information about failover causes. Option A is wrong because the RDS console shows events but not detailed causes. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch metrics show performance but not failover reasons. Option D is wrong because the RDS API describes instances, not failover causes.
What should I do if I get this DBS-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DBS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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