Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
Exhibit
Disaster recovery test results: - Requirement: RTO <= 15 minutes, RPO <= 5 minutes - Primary Region: full application stack running 24/7 - Secondary Region: - RDS cross-Region replica current within 2 minutes - AMIs copied to secondary Region - Auto Scaling group desired=0, min=0, max=6 - No load balancer or application instances running until failover Measured failover drill: - Start application stack in secondary Region: 12 minutes - Promote database replica: 4 minutes - Update DNS and propagate: 2 minutes - Total recovery time: 18 minutes
Based on the exhibit, the current disaster recovery design misses the RTO target even though the database replica is current. Which deployment model best meets the requirements with the least always-on cost?
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
Pilot light, because only the database needs to be running in the secondary Region.
Pilot light keeps only a minimal set of components active in the secondary Region. In this exhibit, the database replica is already current, but the measured recovery time still exceeds the RTO because the application tier must be started from zero.
B
Best answer
Warm standby, because a scaled-down application stack stays running in the secondary Region and can take over faster.
Warm standby is the best fit when you need faster recovery than pilot light but do not want the cost of full active-active capacity. The exhibit shows that starting the application stack from zero consumes most of the recovery time. Keeping a reduced but functional stack running in the secondary Region removes that startup delay and should bring the total recovery time within the 15-minute RTO while still keeping always-on cost below full production duplication.
C
Distractor review
Active-active, because both Regions should always serve traffic to guarantee the RTO.
Active-active can provide very fast recovery, but it requires both Regions to run at production scale and introduces significant operational complexity. The requirement asks for the least always-on cost, so this is more than necessary.
D
Distractor review
Backup and restore, because restoring from backups is the least expensive DR model available.
Backup and restore is the lowest-cost model, but its recovery time is typically much slower than the measured 18 minutes shown in the exhibit. It would not meet the stated RTO.
Common exam trap
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.
Technical deep dive
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.
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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
A team needs to distribute TCP traffic (not HTTP) across multiple services. The services must see the original client source IP for auditing. Which AWS load balancer is the best fit?
Question 2
A team wants to run containerized services with AWS-managed orchestration and autoscaling. They do NOT require Kubernetes compatibility. Which AWS service choice is most appropriate to meet these goals?
Question 3
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a IoT ingestion API. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure? The design must avoid adding custom operational scripts.
Question 4
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Question 5
A team wants to delegate IAM management to developers, but must ensure developers can never grant themselves permissions beyond a specific limit. Which AWS mechanism best matches this requirement?
Question 6
A solutions architect is designing an S3 bucket for a healthcare document service. The objects must never be publicly accessible, even if a developer later adds an overly broad bucket policy. What should the architect configure?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SAA-C03 question test?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Warm standby, because a scaled-down application stack stays running in the secondary Region and can take over faster. — The key problem in the drill is not the database replica; it is the time required to bring the application tier online in the secondary Region. Warm standby keeps a smaller but already running application footprint available, which cuts failover time without paying for full active-active capacity. That makes it the best balance of RTO and cost for the requirements shown. Why others are wrong: Pilot light is too minimal when application startup time is the dominant delay. Active-active meets recovery objectives but at much higher cost and complexity than requested. Backup and restore is cheapest, but the measured recovery time is already too long for the RTO target.
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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