DBS-C01 Deployment and Migration Practice Question
A company uses a self-hosted MySQL database on EC2. They want to migrate to Amazon RDS for MySQL with minimal downtime and automated failover. Which migration strategy should be used?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume AWS DMS is the only tool for minimal-downtime migrations, but native MySQL replication is simpler, more reliable, and directly supports automated failover when combined with Multi-AZ RDS, whereas DMS adds complexity and does not itself provide failover capabilities.
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
✓
Set up MySQL replication from EC2 to RDS, then cut over
Setting up MySQL native replication from the EC2-hosted MySQL database to an Amazon RDS for MySQL instance allows for near-zero downtime migration. Once replication is established and lag is minimal, you can simply stop writes on the source, verify replication has caught up, and redirect traffic to the RDS endpoint. This approach also supports automated failover by enabling Multi-AZ on the RDS instance, which provides a synchronous standby replica in a different Availability Zone.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Set up MySQL replication from EC2 to RDS, then cut over
Why this is correct
Native replication allows minimal downtime and automated failover is built into RDS Multi-AZ.
- ✗
Use mysqldump to export the database and import to RDS
Why it's wrong here
This requires downtime during export and import.
- ✗
Take a snapshot of the EC2 instance and restore to RDS
Why it's wrong here
EC2 snapshots are not directly restorable to RDS.
- ✗
Use AWS DMS with full load and CDC
Why it's wrong here
AWS DMS with full load and CDC facilitates data replication for minimal downtime, making it tempting for migrations requiring continuous synchronisation. However, for a homogeneous MySQL to MySQL migration to RDS, native MySQL replication is often a more direct method to achieve minimal downtime. Crucially, DMS does not inherently provide the automated failover capability for the target RDS instance; that is an RDS Multi-AZ feature. DMS is typically the correct choice for heterogeneous database migrations (e.g., Oracle to MySQL) or when complex data transformations are required during the migration process.
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