The correct answer is to install the CloudWatch agent on the EC2 instance and configure it to collect memory metrics. This is necessary because standard EC2 monitoring only provides hypervisor-level metrics like CPU and network I/O, while memory utilization is a guest-level metric that requires an agent running inside the operating system. The CloudWatch agent collects these custom metrics and sends them to CloudWatch, enabling analysis of the memory leak without any application code changes. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the distinction between basic and detailed monitoring versus custom metric collection—a common trap is assuming the default CloudWatch monitoring or the older SSM agent can capture memory data. Remember the key difference: hypervisor metrics are free, but guest OS metrics need the CloudWatch agent. Memory tip: "Agent for the inside, default for the outside."
DOP-C02 Incident and Event Response Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 company has a legacy application running on an EC2 instance that is not part of an Auto Scaling group. The instance is experiencing a memory leak. The DevOps engineer needs to collect memory metrics to analyze the issue without modifying the application. What should the engineer do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Install the CloudWatch agent on the instance and configure it to collect memory metrics.
The CloudWatch agent is required to collect custom metrics like memory utilization from an EC2 instance because the standard EC2 monitoring only captures hypervisor-level metrics (CPU, network, disk I/O). By installing and configuring the CloudWatch agent, the engineer can collect memory metrics without modifying the application code, directly addressing the memory leak analysis requirement.
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.
✓
Install the CloudWatch agent on the instance and configure it to collect memory metrics.
Why this is correct
The CloudWatch agent can collect custom memory metrics from the OS.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use the AWS Management Console to view memory metrics from the EC2 monitoring tab.
Why it's wrong here
The console shows only default CloudWatch metrics; memory is not included.
✗
Use EC2Rescue to generate a memory dump and analyze it.
Why it's wrong here
EC2Rescue is for one-time diagnostics, not ongoing metric collection.
✗
Enable CloudWatch detailed monitoring on the instance.
Why it's wrong here
Detailed monitoring increases metric frequency but does not add memory metrics.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the EC2 monitoring tab or detailed monitoring includes memory metrics, but AWS does not provide OS-level metrics (memory, disk space, swap usage) without the CloudWatch agent.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The console shows only default CloudWatch metrics; memory is not included.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The CloudWatch agent uses the `proc/meminfo` file on Linux or performance counters on Windows to collect memory metrics, sending them to CloudWatch as custom namespaces (e.g., `CWAgent`). Under the hood, the agent supports both standard and high-resolution metrics (down to 1-second granularity) and can be configured via a JSON file to specify which metrics to collect. In a real-world scenario, if the instance is in a private subnet without internet access, the engineer would need to configure a VPC endpoint for CloudWatch monitoring or use a proxy to ensure the agent can transmit data.
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 healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Incident and Event Response — This question tests Incident and Event Response — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Install the CloudWatch agent on the instance and configure it to collect memory metrics. — The CloudWatch agent is required to collect custom metrics like memory utilization from an EC2 instance because the standard EC2 monitoring only captures hypervisor-level metrics (CPU, network, disk I/O). By installing and configuring the CloudWatch agent, the engineer can collect memory metrics without modifying the application code, directly addressing the memory leak analysis requirement.
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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Question Discussion
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