The answer is to create a cross-Region read replica in the secondary Region. This solution meets the 5-minute RPO because RDS cross-Region read replicas use asynchronous replication that typically completes within seconds to a few minutes, ensuring data loss stays well under the threshold. For the 1-hour RTO, promoting the read replica to a standalone instance takes only minutes, leaving ample time for DNS and application failover. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of continuous replication versus snapshot-based recovery; a common trap is choosing automated snapshots copied to another Region, which cannot guarantee a 5-minute RPO due to snapshot intervals. Remember that cross-Region read replicas provide a live, ongoing replication stream, making them ideal for low-RPO disaster recovery. Memory tip: “Read replicas run real-time recovery” — the three R’s for low RPO.
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 DevOps team is designing a disaster recovery solution for an Amazon RDS for MySQL database. The primary database is in us-east-1, and the recovery point objective (RPO) is 5 minutes, recovery time objective (RTO) is 1 hour. Which solution meets these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a cross-Region read replica in the secondary Region.
A cross-Region read replica in the secondary Region meets the RPO of 5 minutes because replication from the primary RDS instance to the read replica is asynchronous but typically completes within seconds to a few minutes, well under the 5-minute threshold. In a disaster, promoting the read replica to a standalone instance can be done manually or automated, and the RTO of 1 hour is achievable because promotion takes only a few minutes, leaving ample time for DNS and application failover. This solution provides a continuous replication stream without manual intervention, unlike snapshot-based approaches.
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.
✗
Enable Multi-AZ deployment for high availability.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ provides high availability within a Region, not cross-Region DR.
✓
Create a cross-Region read replica in the secondary Region.
Why this is correct
A cross-Region read replica can be promoted quickly, meeting RPO of 5 minutes and RTO of 1 hour.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Take manual snapshots and copy them to the secondary Region daily.
Why it's wrong here
Daily snapshots would not meet the 5-minute RPO; restoration may exceed RTO.
✗
Configure automated backups with a retention period of 35 days.
Why it's wrong here
Automated backups are for same-Region point-in-time recovery, not cross-Region DR.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Multi-AZ (high availability within a Region) with cross-Region disaster recovery, assuming Multi-AZ protects against Regional failures, but it only protects against Availability Zone failures within the same Region.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, cross-Region read replicas use MySQL's native asynchronous replication (based on binary log file position or GTID-based replication) to stream changes from the primary to the replica in another Region. The replica can be promoted to a primary in minutes by stopping replication and enabling writes, but note that any replication lag at the time of failover could cause data loss, so monitoring lag with CloudWatch metrics (e.g., Amazon RDS ReplicaLag) is critical to ensure the RPO is met. In a real-world scenario, if the primary Region fails, you must also update application connection strings or use Route 53 DNS failover to redirect traffic to the promoted instance in the secondary Region.
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.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Resilient Cloud Solutions — This question tests Resilient Cloud Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a cross-Region read replica in the secondary Region. — A cross-Region read replica in the secondary Region meets the RPO of 5 minutes because replication from the primary RDS instance to the read replica is asynchronous but typically completes within seconds to a few minutes, well under the 5-minute threshold. In a disaster, promoting the read replica to a standalone instance can be done manually or automated, and the RTO of 1 hour is achievable because promotion takes only a few minutes, leaving ample time for DNS and application failover. This solution provides a continuous replication stream without manual intervention, unlike snapshot-based approaches.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
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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