EBS Snapshot Cross-Region for 15-Minute RPO Disaster Recovery
A company is designing a disaster recovery solution for a critical application that runs on Amazon EC2 instances in a single AWS Region. The application data is stored on Amazon EBS volumes. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 15 minutes, and the recovery time objective (RTO) is 2 hours. Which TWO actions should the company take to meet these objectives? (Choose two.)
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to copy EBS snapshots to another AWS Region and automate restoring them into EBS volumes, paired with taking snapshots every 15 minutes. This meets the 15-minute RPO by ensuring incremental snapshots capture data changes within that window, while the cross-region copy satisfies the 2-hour RTO by enabling rapid volume restoration in a separate Region. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of EBS snapshot-based disaster recovery, where the key trap is confusing snapshot frequency with real-time replication—snapshots are not continuous, so a 15-minute interval is the minimum to hit that RPO. Another common mistake is assuming a single-Region backup strategy suffices, but cross-region replication is mandatory for DR. Memory tip: think “Snap and Ship”—snap every 15 minutes, ship to another Region, and restore to hit your RTO.
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse RPO with RTO and incorrectly assume that daily backups (Option B) or instance recreation (Option C) are sufficient, failing to recognize that the 15-minute RPO requires frequent snapshot intervals and cross-region replication for true disaster recovery.
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
✓
Configure Amazon EBS snapshots to be taken every 15 minutes.
Taking Amazon EBS snapshots every 15 minutes ensures that the RPO of 15 minutes is met, as the maximum data loss is limited to the interval between snapshots. Option E is correct because copying EBS snapshots to another AWS Region and automating their restoration into EBS volumes enables cross-region recovery, which is necessary since the application runs in a single Region and the RTO of 2 hours allows time for the restore process.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use Amazon EBS Multi-Attach to attach volumes to instances in another region.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-Attach is for same AZ, not cross-region.
- ✗
Use AWS Backup to create a backup plan with a daily backup.
Why it's wrong here
Daily backup does not meet 15-minute RPO.
- ✗
Use AWS CloudFormation to recreate the EC2 instances from a template.
Why it's wrong here
Does not restore data.
- ✓
Configure Amazon EBS snapshots to be taken every 15 minutes.
Why this is correct
Meets the 15-minute RPO.
- ✓
Copy EBS snapshots to another AWS Region and automate restoring them into EBS volumes.
Why this is correct
Enables recovery in another region within RTO.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on SAP-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 is designing a new disaster recovery solution for a critical application that runs on Amazon EC2 instances in a single AWS Region. The solution must have a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of less than 15 minutes and a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of less than 5 minutes. The application data is stored on Amazon EBS volumes. Which THREE steps should be taken to meet these requirements? (Choose three.)
hard- ✓ A.Create Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) with pre-installed software and use AWS Backup to automate recovery in another region.
- ✓ B.Use Amazon EBS snapshots and replicate them to another AWS Region using cross-region snapshot copy.
- ✓ C.Use AWS CloudEndure Disaster Recovery to continuously replicate the EC2 instances to another region.
- D.Enable Amazon S3 cross-region replication for the EBS snapshots.
- E.Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to replicate data to a secondary region.
Why A: Creating AMIs with pre-installed software and using AWS Backup to automate recovery in another region enables rapid instance launch with all required software already configured, supporting an RTO of under 15 minutes. AWS Backup can automate cross-region AMI copying and recovery, ensuring the RPO of less than 5 minutes is met when combined with frequent backup schedules.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This SAP-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAP-C02 exam.