The answer is to install the CloudWatch Logs agent on each EC2 instance and stream logs to CloudWatch Logs. This is correct because logs written to local instance storage are ephemeral and are permanently lost when an instance is terminated or replaced during a scaling event; streaming them to CloudWatch Logs in real time centralizes the data and decouples log persistence from the instance lifecycle. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the shared responsibility model for log durability and the distinction between instance store volumes and persistent storage services. A common trap is selecting an option that copies logs to an EBS volume, which still fails if the instance is terminated without a snapshot. Remember the mnemonic: "Stream to stay, store to lose" — if logs stay on the instance, they vanish with it.
DOP-C02 Resilient Cloud Solutions Practice Question
This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of resilient cloud solutions. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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's application runs on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The application writes logs to local instance storage. The operations team needs to ensure logs are not lost during instance termination or scaling events. What should be done?
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 Logs agent on each instance and stream logs to CloudWatch Logs.
Configuring the CloudWatch Logs agent to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs in real time ensures logs are centralized and not lost.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Increase the size of the instance store volumes.
Why it's wrong here
Instance store is ephemeral; logs still lost on termination.
✗
Use an Amazon EFS file system and mount it to each instance for log storage.
Why it's wrong here
EFS provides persistent storage, but logs are still at risk if application stops writing.
✗
Configure the Auto Scaling group to terminate instances after logs are copied to S3.
Why it's wrong here
No automatic mechanism; logs may be lost during scale-in.
✓
Install the CloudWatch Logs agent on each instance and stream logs to CloudWatch Logs.
Why this is correct
Real-time streaming to CloudWatch prevents loss.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Resilient Cloud Solutions — This question tests Resilient Cloud Solutions — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Install the CloudWatch Logs agent on each instance and stream logs to CloudWatch Logs. — Configuring the CloudWatch Logs agent to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs in real time ensures logs are centralized and not lost.
What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related DOP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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