DOP-C02 Configuration Management and IaC Practice Question
A company uses AWS OpsWorks for configuration management with Chef. They are migrating to AWS Systems Manager to reduce complexity. The operations team needs to run custom scripts on a fleet of EC2 instances on a schedule, with the ability to target instances based on tags. Which Systems Manager capability should the engineer use?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse Run Command's on-demand execution with scheduled execution, overlooking that State Manager provides the built-in scheduling and tag-based targeting required for recurring tasks.
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
✓
State Manager
State Manager is the correct choice because it is designed to define and maintain consistent configuration of EC2 instances and other AWS resources, including running custom scripts on a schedule. It supports targeting instances by tags and uses associations to enforce desired states at specified intervals, making it ideal for scheduled script execution across a tagged fleet.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Patch Manager
Why it's wrong here
AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager automates the process of patching managed nodes with security updates and other types of updates. It operates via patch baselines and scan/install operations, not arbitrary script execution. While it can run pre/post-patch scripts via custom PowerShell or shell scripts in the maintenance window, its primary purpose and schedule granularity are not designed for running general custom scripts on a recurring schedule. For this use case, State Manager is the correct service.
- ✗
Automation
Why it's wrong here
AWS Systems Manager Automation is a document-based service for performing high-level, multi-step operational workflows (e.g., patching, AMI creation, incident response). An Automation document can invoke scripts via the `aws:runCommand` or `aws:executeScript` actions, but it is fundamentally a workflow orchestration engine, not a simple cron-like scheduler. It is typically triggered on demand, by events, or by maintenance windows, rather than being the natural choice for a straightforward recurring custom script. State Manager's associations are purpose-built for defining and applying a configuration on a schedule using tags.
- ✓
State Manager
Why this is correct
AWS Systems Manager State Manager uses associations to define the state you want to maintain on your managed instances, including running custom scripts via Run Command documents or other SSM documents. Associations support a schedule using cron or rate expressions and can target instances by tags, resource groups, or individual instance IDs. This makes State Manager the ideal service for regularly executing a custom script on EC2 instances selected by tags. The association's schedule ensures the script runs automatically, and it provides compliance reporting on execution history.
- ✗
Run Command
Why it's wrong here
AWS Systems Manager Run Command lets you remotely and securely manage the configuration of your managed instances by running commands on demand. While Run Command can be invoked from a maintenance window or a State Manager association to schedule execution, Run Command itself does not have native scheduling capabilities. The question asks for a service that can schedule a script on a recurring basis; therefore, Run Command alone would not satisfy the requirement. State Manager provides the association-level schedule that triggers the script.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This DOP-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 DOP-C02 exam.