DBS-C01 max_connections Practice Question
A database specialist is troubleshooting an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL instance that is experiencing intermittent connection timeouts. The application logs show errors like 'FATAL: remaining connection slots are reserved for non-replication superuser connections'. The max_connections parameter is set to 100. What should the specialist do to resolve this issue?
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
✓
Modify the 'max_connections' parameter to a higher value and reboot the instance.
The error indicates that the maximum number of connections has been reached. Increasing the max_connections parameter allows more concurrent connections, resolving the issue. Option B is incorrect because the error is about regular connections, not replication slots. Option C is incorrect because the superuser_reserved_connections parameter reserves slots for superusers; the error is about all connection slots being exhausted. Option D is incorrect because RDS Proxy manages connection pooling but does not increase the connection limit.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Modify the 'max_connections' parameter to a higher value and reboot the instance.
Why this is correct
Increasing max_connections allows more concurrent connections and resolves the error.
- ✗
Increase the 'max_replication_slots' parameter to allow more replication connections.
Why it's wrong here
The error is not related to replication slots.
- ✗
Increase the value of the 'superuser_reserved_connections' parameter.
Why it's wrong here
Reserving more slots for superusers does not solve the general connection shortage.
- ✗
Enable RDS Proxy to manage database connections efficiently.
Why it's wrong here
RDS Proxy helps with connection pooling but does not directly increase max_connections.
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