← DOP-C02·Amazon Web Services

Question 344 of 1,740

Configuration Management and IaC →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is that the State Manager association was created before the new instances were launched and is not configured to automatically apply to new instances, so it must be updated or scheduled to run periodically. This is because State Manager associations are point-in-time configurations that target only the instances that exist when the association is created, even when using tag-based targeting; new instances launched later are not automatically included unless the association has a recurring schedule or the "Apply only at next update" option is enabled. On the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer Professional DOP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that an association set to run "at launch" applies only to instances that are launched while the association is actively being applied, not to instances launched after the association was created—a common trap where candidates confuse tag-based targeting with dynamic instance discovery. Remember the memory tip: "Associations are snapshots, not filters; schedule them to catch the newcomers."

DOP-C02 Configuration Management and IaC Practice Question

This DOP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of configuration management and iac. 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 runs a critical web application on AWS using an Auto Scaling group of EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The application is deployed using AWS CodeDeploy with a blue/green deployment configuration. The DevOps team is responsible for configuration management using AWS Systems Manager State Manager. They have set up a State Manager association to ensure that the instances have a specific security configuration (e.g., firewall rules). Recently, after a new deployment, the team noticed that the security configuration is missing on some new instances. The old instances still have the correct configuration. The association is configured to apply the configuration only at instance launch (using the AWS-RunShellScript document). The team suspects that the new instances are not being targeted by the association. Upon investigation, they find that the association is set to target instances based on tags, and the new instances do have the required tags. However, the association status shows 'Success' for the old instances but no status for the new instances. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause of this issue?

Clue words in this question

Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.

Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

Question 1hardmultiple choice

Full question →

A
The State Manager association was created before the new instances were launched, and the association is not configured to automatically apply to new instances. The association needs to be updated or scheduled to run periodically.
Associations only apply to instances that exist at the time of association creation unless configured otherwise.
B
The new instances have a different tag than the one specified in the association.
Why wrong: The stem says the instances have the required tags.
C
The association is trying to download a script from an S3 bucket, but the bucket policy denies access to new instances.
Why wrong: If access were denied, the association would show failure status.
D
The AWS-RunShellScript document failed to execute on the new instances due to a missing IAM role.
Why wrong: The association status would show 'Failed', not missing.

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

✓

The State Manager association was created before the new instances were launched, and the association is not configured to automatically apply to new instances. The association needs to be updated or scheduled to run periodically.

Option A is correct because State Manager associations are created at a specific time and target instances that exist at that time. New instances launched after the association creation will not automatically be targeted unless the association is configured with a schedule or the 'Apply only at next update' option. The association is set to run only at launch, but the association itself must be applied to the instance at launch time. If the association was created before the new instances, it won't apply to them unless it is updated. Option B is wrong because the association can target instances by tags; tagging is not the issue. Option C is wrong because the problem is not about the script failing; the association is not running on new instances. Option D is wrong because the S3 bucket policy would affect the ability to store logs, but the association status would show error, not missing status.

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.

✓
The State Manager association was created before the new instances were launched, and the association is not configured to automatically apply to new instances. The association needs to be updated or scheduled to run periodically.
Why this is correct
Associations only apply to instances that exist at the time of association creation unless configured otherwise.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The new instances have a different tag than the one specified in the association.
Why it's wrong here
The stem says the instances have the required tags.
✗
The association is trying to download a script from an S3 bucket, but the bucket policy denies access to new instances.
Why it's wrong here
If access were denied, the association would show failure status.
✗
The AWS-RunShellScript document failed to execute on the new instances due to a missing IAM role.
Why it's wrong here
The association status would show 'Failed', not missing.

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.

Trap categories for this question

Command / output trap
If access were denied, the association would show failure status.

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 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 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?

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: The State Manager association was created before the new instances were launched, and the association is not configured to automatically apply to new instances. The association needs to be updated or scheduled to run periodically. — Option A is correct because State Manager associations are created at a specific time and target instances that exist at that time. New instances launched after the association creation will not automatically be targeted unless the association is configured with a schedule or the 'Apply only at next update' option. The association is set to run only at launch, but the association itself must be applied to the instance at launch time. If the association was created before the new instances, it won't apply to them unless it is updated. Option B is wrong because the association can target instances by tags; tagging is not the issue. Option C is wrong because the problem is not about the script failing; the association is not running on new instances. Option D is wrong because the S3 bucket policy would affect the ability to store logs, but the association status would show error, not missing status.

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

Are there clue words in this question I should notice?

Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.

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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 runs a production e-commerce platform on AWS. The architecture includes an Application Load Balancer (ALB) distributing traffic across EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The application uses a custom configuration stored in an S3 bucket. The DevOps team uses AWS CodeDeploy to deploy application updates. Recently, a deployment failed because new instances launched by the Auto Scaling group did not have the latest configuration from S3. The team had manually updated the configuration in S3 but the deployment did not pull the new version. The team wants to ensure that all instances always have the latest configuration at launch. Current setup: The Auto Scaling group uses a launch template that specifies an IAM instance profile with permissions to read from S3. The user data script runs at launch to download configuration from S3. However, the user data script is static and does not account for configuration updates. The team wants a solution that automatically applies configuration changes to both existing and new instances without manual intervention.

hard

A.Use AWS Config with a custom rule to detect instances that do not have the latest configuration and trigger a Lambda function to update them.
B.Update the launch template with a new user data script that always fetches the latest configuration from S3. Then, update the Auto Scaling group to use the new launch template version.
C.Configure AWS CodeDeploy to deploy the configuration to all instances whenever the S3 object is updated, using an S3 event notification.
✓ D.Use AWS Systems Manager State Manager to associate a document that runs on all instances to fetch the latest configuration from S3 on a schedule and at instance startup.

Why D: Option B is correct because AWS Systems Manager State Manager can enforce configuration on instances, pull the latest config from S3, and apply it to both existing and new instances. Option A is incorrect because updating the user data script in the launch template only affects new instances, not existing ones. Option C is incorrect because CodeDeploy does not run at instance launch unless triggered by a lifecycle hook, and it requires additional setup. Option D is incorrect because AWS Config is for compliance, not for pushing configurations.

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