← DOP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 705 of 1,750

Incident and Event Response →mediumMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Improving Auto Scaling Responsiveness with Target Tracking

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of incident and event response. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 uses EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an ALB. The DevOps team receives alerts that the CPU utilization on the instances is consistently above 90% during peak hours. The Auto Scaling group is configured with a simple scaling policy that adds one instance when CPU exceeds 80% and removes one when below 30%. However, during sudden traffic spikes, the scaling policy reacts too slowly, causing performance degradation. The team wants to improve the scaling responsiveness without over-provisioning. What should the team do?

A
Increase the cooldown period for the simple scaling policy to allow more time for metrics to stabilize.
Why wrong: Increasing the cooldown period would delay further scaling actions, making the response to sudden traffic spikes even slower, which is not the desired outcome.
B
Replace the simple scaling policy with a step scaling policy that adds multiple instances when CPU exceeds 80%.
Why wrong: While a step scaling policy can be more responsive than simple scaling by adding multiple instances at once, it requires manual configuration of thresholds and actions. Target tracking is more automated and efficient for maintaining a target metric.
C
Create a scheduled scaling action to add instances before peak hours based on historical data.
Why wrong: Scheduled scaling is effective only for predictable traffic patterns. Sudden spikes are unpredictable, so scheduled scaling would not address the issue.
D
Replace the simple scaling policy with a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization with a target value of 70%.
A target tracking scaling policy with a target value of 70% average CPU utilization proactively adds instances before utilization reaches 80% and continuously adjusts to maintain the target, providing fast response to spikes without over-provisioning.

Full breakdown with real-world context →

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

✓

Replace the simple scaling policy with a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization with a target value of 70%.

Option D is correct because a target tracking scaling policy automatically adjusts the size of the Auto Scaling group to keep the average CPU utilization close to the target value (70%). This provides a proactive and responsive scaling mechanism for sudden traffic spikes without manual intervention. Option A is incorrect because increasing the cooldown period would delay scaling actions, worsening the response time. Option B is incorrect because although a step scaling policy can add multiple instances at once, it requires manual configuration of thresholds and step adjustments, and it may not adapt as smoothly to varying spikes as target tracking. Option C is incorrect because scheduled scaling only addresses predictable traffic patterns, not sudden, unpredictable spikes.

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.

✗
Increase the cooldown period for the simple scaling policy to allow more time for metrics to stabilize.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the cooldown period would delay further scaling actions, making the response to sudden traffic spikes even slower, which is not the desired outcome.
✗
Replace the simple scaling policy with a step scaling policy that adds multiple instances when CPU exceeds 80%.
Why it's wrong here
While a step scaling policy can be more responsive than simple scaling by adding multiple instances at once, it requires manual configuration of thresholds and actions. Target tracking is more automated and efficient for maintaining a target metric.
✗
Create a scheduled scaling action to add instances before peak hours based on historical data.
Why it's wrong here
Scheduled scaling is effective only for predictable traffic patterns. Sudden spikes are unpredictable, so scheduled scaling would not address the issue.
✓
Replace the simple scaling policy with a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization with a target value of 70%.
Why this is correct
A target tracking scaling policy with a target value of 70% average CPU utilization proactively adds instances before utilization reaches 80% and continuously adjusts to maintain the target, providing fast response to spikes without over-provisioning.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.

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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.

TExam Day Tips

Underline the problem statement mentally.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Identify which DOP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this DOP-C02 question test?

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: Replace the simple scaling policy with a target tracking scaling policy based on average CPU utilization with a target value of 70%. — Option D is correct because a target tracking scaling policy automatically adjusts the size of the Auto Scaling group to keep the average CPU utilization close to the target value (70%). This provides a proactive and responsive scaling mechanism for sudden traffic spikes without manual intervention. Option A is incorrect because increasing the cooldown period would delay scaling actions, worsening the response time. Option B is incorrect because although a step scaling policy can add multiple instances at once, it requires manual configuration of thresholds and step adjustments, and it may not adapt as smoothly to varying spikes as target tracking. Option C is incorrect because scheduled scaling only addresses predictable traffic patterns, not sudden, unpredictable spikes.

What should I do if I get this DOP-C02 question wrong?

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

About these practice questions

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Same concept, more angles

1 more ways this is tested on DOP-C02

These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.

Variation 1. A company uses an Auto Scaling group with a dynamic scaling policy based on the average CPU utilization of the instances. During an incident, the DevOps team notices that the Auto Scaling group is not launching new instances quickly enough to handle a traffic spike. What is a possible cause for the slow scaling response?

medium

✓ A.The cooldown period is set too high.
B.The health check grace period is set too low.
C.The minimum group size is set too low.
D.The launch template has a long warm-up time.

Why A: Option A is correct because the cooldown period prevents the Auto Scaling group from launching or terminating instances after a scaling activity. If the cooldown is too long, it delays subsequent scaling actions. Option B is wrong because the health check grace period is for instance health checks after launch, not scaling speed. Option C is wrong because the minimum group size is irrelevant to scaling speed. Option D is wrong because the warm-up time for the launch template is not a real parameter.

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