Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A stateless web API runs on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The Auto Scaling group (ASG) currently uses subnets from only one Availability Zone, even though the ALB spans two Availability Zones. During maintenance of that single AZ, the ALB remains up but clients see timeouts because there are no healthy targets. Which change most directly improves resilience against an AZ failure?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Keep the ASG in one subnet/AZ, but enable ALB stickiness to reduce session interruption.
Stickiness affects session routing but does not create targets in a second AZ during an AZ outage.
B
Best answer
Update the ASG to launch instances across subnets in at least two Availability Zones and ensure ALB health checks target an application-ready path.
Spreading instances across multiple AZs ensures the ALB can route to healthy targets even when one AZ fails.
C
Distractor review
Add a NAT gateway in the public subnets so instances can reach the internet during maintenance events.
NAT affects outbound connectivity, not target placement or health during an AZ outage.
D
Distractor review
Create a second ALB in the same Availability Zone and route traffic using DNS failover.
DNS failover adds complexity and still depends on healthy targets; without multi-AZ instances, failover won’t help much.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: usable hosts are not the same as total addresses
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
- Block size helps identify subnet boundaries.
- Network and broadcast addresses are not usable hosts in normal IPv4 subnets.
- The required host count determines the smallest suitable subnet.
TExam Day Tips
- Write the block size before choosing the subnet.
- Check whether the question asks for hosts, subnets or a specific address range.
- Do not confuse /24, /25, /26 and /27 host counts.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
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Question 2
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Question 3
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Question 4
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Question 5
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Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Update the ASG to launch instances across subnets in at least two Availability Zones and ensure ALB health checks target an application-ready path. — To survive an Availability Zone failure, the stateless compute tier must exist in more than one AZ. An ALB spanning two AZs only improves availability if it has healthy targets in those AZs. By configuring the ASG with subnets in at least two Availability Zones and aligning ALB health checks with an application readiness endpoint, the system can keep serving requests when one AZ becomes unavailable. Why others are wrong: Option A focuses on session behavior rather than infrastructure placement; stickiness cannot restore missing targets in the failed AZ. Option C addresses outbound internet access, but the observed issue is lack of healthy targets caused by single-AZ placement. Option D may provide another load balancer, but without compute redundancy in multiple AZs, there’s still nothing healthy to serve, so timeouts persist.
What should I do if I get this SAA-C03 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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