DVA-C02 Deployment Practice Question
A company uses AWS OpsWorks to manage a stack of EC2 instances. After a deployment, the application becomes unresponsive. The engineer suspects that a configuration file was not updated correctly. What is the best way to verify the deployed configuration?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates assume CloudWatch Logs or Systems Manager Run Command are the best tools for configuration verification, overlooking the fact that OpsWorks stores its deployed configuration locally on the instance in a specific directory that can only be inspected directly via SSH.
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
✓
SSH into an instance and inspect the configuration files in /var/lib/aws/opsworks.
OpsWorks stores its configuration data, including the applied custom JSON and stack settings, in /var/lib/aws/opsworks on each EC2 instance. By SSHing into the instance and inspecting these files, the engineer can directly verify whether the configuration file was updated correctly after deployment, bypassing any application-level logging or abstraction.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager Run Command to execute a script that outputs the configuration.
Why it's wrong here
While AWS Systems Manager Run Command can execute scripts on EC2 instances, it is an indirect method for debugging OpsWorks configuration. It would require crafting a specific script to locate and output the relevant OpsWorks configuration files, which are already directly accessible on the instance. This approach adds an unnecessary layer of abstraction and complexity compared to directly accessing the configuration applied by OpsWorks.
- ✗
Check the OpsWorks stack's logs for any JSON syntax errors in the custom JSON.
Why it's wrong here
JSON syntax errors in the custom JSON would typically cause the OpsWorks deployment or stack update to fail outright, preventing the application from reaching an operational state. The scenario describes an "unresponsive application," implying that the deployment completed but the configuration applied was logically incorrect or incomplete, rather than syntactically invalid. OpsWorks performs validation that would catch basic syntax issues before application.
- ✓
SSH into an instance and inspect the configuration files in /var/lib/aws/opsworks.
Why this is correct
When OpsWorks manages an EC2 instance, it uses Chef to apply configuration. The `/var/lib/aws/opsworks` directory on the instance is the authoritative location where Chef recipes, generated configuration files, and custom JSON are stored and executed. Directly inspecting these files allows a developer to verify the exact configuration that was actually deployed and applied to the instance, which is crucial for diagnosing why an application might be unresponsive due to misconfiguration.
- ✗
Review the application logs in Amazon CloudWatch Logs for configuration errors.
Why it's wrong here
Reviewing application logs in Amazon CloudWatch Logs can reveal errors that an application encounters during startup or operation, potentially indicating a configuration issue. However, these logs reflect the *symptoms* or *outcomes* of the configuration, not the configuration itself. They do not directly display the OpsWorks custom JSON or the specific Chef attributes that were applied, making it challenging to pinpoint the exact misconfiguration without knowing the intended state.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DVA-C02 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 DVA-C02 exam.