The correct action is to change the m5.xlarge instance in us-east-1c to an m5.large in that same Availability Zone or move it to another AZ to ensure high availability across availability zones for EC2 instances. This is because the current distribution violates the principle of balanced instance count and type across AZs; an Application Load Balancer distributes traffic evenly only when each AZ has identical capacity. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how ALB’s cross-zone load balancing requires uniform instance sizing per AZ to prevent one zone from becoming a bottleneck. A common trap is assuming that simply adding more instances in a single AZ improves fault tolerance, but true high availability demands that no single AZ failure takes down more than its proportional share of capacity. Remember the memory tip: “Same size, same count, spread them out” — for ALB-backed HA, each AZ must mirror the others in both instance type and quantity.
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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.
Network Topology
A company is migrating a web application to AWS. The application runs on EC2 instances behind an Application Load Balancer. The exhibit shows the current running instances. The company wants to ensure high availability across multiple Availability Zones. Which action should the company take?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Change the m5.xlarge instance in us-east-1c to an m5.large in us-east-1c or move it to another AZ.
Option C is correct because the current distribution shows uneven instance types and counts. To ensure HA, move the m5.xlarge instance to a different AZ or replace it with m5.large. Option A is wrong because adding more instances in us-east-1a does not improve AZ diversity. Option B is wrong because terminating the m5.xlarge reduces capacity. Option D is wrong because placing all in one AZ defeats HA.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Launch additional m5.large instances in us-east-1a.
Why it's wrong here
This concentrates instances in one AZ, reducing HA.
✓
Change the m5.xlarge instance in us-east-1c to an m5.large in us-east-1c or move it to another AZ.
Why this is correct
Balancing instance types and ensuring even distribution across AZs improves HA.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Terminate the m5.xlarge instance in us-east-1c and launch an m5.large in the same AZ.
Why it's wrong here
Terminating reduces capacity; the instance type difference is not a HA issue.
✗
Place all instances in a single AZ and use an Auto Scaling group.
Why it's wrong here
Single AZ is not highly available.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Change the m5.xlarge instance in us-east-1c to an m5.large in us-east-1c or move it to another AZ. — Option C is correct because the current distribution shows uneven instance types and counts. To ensure HA, move the m5.xlarge instance to a different AZ or replace it with m5.large. Option A is wrong because adding more instances in us-east-1a does not improve AZ diversity. Option B is wrong because terminating the m5.xlarge reduces capacity. Option D is wrong because placing all in one AZ defeats HA.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related SAP-C02 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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