DBS-C01 Management and Operations Practice Question
Network Topology
A database specialist observes the CloudWatch metric for a production RDS for MySQL instance. The max_connections parameter is set to 150. The Sum of DatabaseConnections over 1-minute periods is shown. The application reports intermittent connection failures. What is the most likely cause?
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 Sum metric over 1-minute period represents the total number of connections during that minute. A Sum of 200 indicates that at some point during the minute, connections exceeded the max_connections of 150, causing failures. Option B is wrong because the metric shows Sum, not average. Option C is wrong because connection pooling reduces connections, not increases. Option D is wrong because the metric clearly shows high connection counts.
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 number of connections exceeded the max_connections limit.
Why this is correct
The Sum metric shows up to 200 connections per minute, exceeding the limit.
- ✗
The average number of connections is below the limit.
Why it's wrong here
The Sum metric does not indicate average; peaks could exceed limit.
- ✗
The DatabaseConnections metric is unreliable.
Why it's wrong here
The metric is accurate; it shows high connection counts.
- ✗
The application is not using connection pooling.
Why it's wrong here
Lack of pooling may cause issues, but the direct cause is exceeding max_connections.
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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.