- A
Define a separate 'AWS::RDS::DBSubnetGroup' resource with subnets from at least two Availability Zones.
Why wrong: A subnet group is recommended but not sufficient; Multi-AZ must be explicitly enabled.
- B
Deploy the database with multiple read replicas in different Availability Zones.
Why wrong: Read replicas are for read scaling, not for high availability failover.
- C
Select a database engine that supports Multi-AZ deployments.
Not all engines support Multi-AZ; e.g., Microsoft SQL Server requires specific editions.
- D
Configure the database to use a DB subnet group with subnets in a single Availability Zone.
Why wrong: Single AZ does not provide multi-AZ high availability.
- E
Set the 'MultiAZ' property of the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource to 'true'.
This enables Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover.
Quick Answer
The answer is to set the 'MultiAZ' property of the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource to 'true' and to verify that the chosen database engine supports Multi-AZ deployments. This is correct because enabling MultiAZ on the DBInstance resource instructs CloudFormation to provision a primary database in one Availability Zone and a synchronous standby replica in another, ensuring automatic failover for high availability. However, not all engines use this feature—Amazon Aurora, for instance, relies on its own cluster volume for resilience, so the engineer must confirm the engine explicitly supports Multi-AZ (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server). On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this tests your ability to distinguish between native Multi-AZ and Aurora’s architecture, a common trap where candidates assume all RDS engines behave identically. A useful memory tip: “MultiAZ is for standby; Aurora is for cluster.”
DOP-C02 Configuration Management and IaC Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of configuration management and iac. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A DevOps engineer is designing an AWS CloudFormation template to deploy a three-tier web application. The application must be highly available across multiple Availability Zones. The engineer needs to ensure that the database layer uses a Multi-AZ deployment. Which TWO options should the engineer implement to meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
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
Select a database engine that supports Multi-AZ deployments.
Option C is correct because not all AWS RDS database engines support Multi-AZ deployments; for example, Amazon Aurora uses a different high-availability mechanism (cluster volume) and does not use the standard Multi-AZ feature. The engineer must verify that the chosen engine (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server) explicitly supports Multi-AZ to enable synchronous standby replication across Availability Zones. Option E is correct because setting the 'MultiAZ' property to 'true' on the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource directly instructs CloudFormation to provision a primary DB instance in one AZ and a standby in another AZ, with automatic failover.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Define a separate 'AWS::RDS::DBSubnetGroup' resource with subnets from at least two Availability Zones.
Why it's wrong here
A subnet group is recommended but not sufficient; Multi-AZ must be explicitly enabled.
- ✗
Deploy the database with multiple read replicas in different Availability Zones.
Why it's wrong here
Read replicas are for read scaling, not for high availability failover.
- ✓
Select a database engine that supports Multi-AZ deployments.
Why this is correct
Not all engines support Multi-AZ; e.g., Microsoft SQL Server requires specific editions.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Configure the database to use a DB subnet group with subnets in a single Availability Zone.
Why it's wrong here
Single AZ does not provide multi-AZ high availability.
- ✓
Set the 'MultiAZ' property of the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource to 'true'.
Why this is correct
This enables Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume any database engine can be made Multi-AZ by simply setting the flag, but the exam tests the knowledge that engines like Aurora have a different architecture and require a cluster-based approach, not the standard MultiAZ property.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, a Multi-AZ RDS deployment uses synchronous replication from the primary to a standby instance in a different AZ, with automatic failover handled by Amazon's DNS and health-check mechanisms; the failover typically completes within 60–120 seconds. A subtle behavior is that the 'MultiAZ' property can be modified after creation, but doing so causes a brief outage as the standby is provisioned. In real-world scenarios, if the engineer selects Aurora (which does not support the standard MultiAZ flag), they must instead use an 'AWS::RDS::DBCluster' resource with 'AvailabilityZones' specified to achieve similar high availability.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this DOP-C02 question test?
Configuration Management and IaC — This question tests Configuration Management and IaC — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Select a database engine that supports Multi-AZ deployments. — Option C is correct because not all AWS RDS database engines support Multi-AZ deployments; for example, Amazon Aurora uses a different high-availability mechanism (cluster volume) and does not use the standard Multi-AZ feature. The engineer must verify that the chosen engine (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Oracle, SQL Server) explicitly supports Multi-AZ to enable synchronous standby replication across Availability Zones. Option E is correct because setting the 'MultiAZ' property to 'true' on the 'AWS::RDS::DBInstance' resource directly instructs CloudFormation to provision a primary DB instance in one AZ and a standby in another AZ, with automatic failover.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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