Quick Answer
The answer is a Multi-AZ DB cluster deployment for Amazon RDS for MySQL. This configuration meets the 15-minute RTO and 5-minute RPO requirements because it uses synchronous replication to a standby in a different Availability Zone, enabling automatic failover with an RTO of typically 1–2 minutes and an RPO of effectively zero. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the difference between Multi-AZ DB instances (which use a single standby with synchronous replication) and Multi-AZ DB clusters (which provide two readable standbys and faster failover). A common trap is choosing a cross-region Read Replica, which introduces asynchronous replication and cannot guarantee a 5-minute RPO due to replication lag. Remember: for single-region DR with strict RPO, think synchronous—Multi-AZ DB cluster is the only RDS MySQL option that provides synchronous replication within a region. Memory tip: "Cluster for consistency, instance for isolation."
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. 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.
A company needs to design a disaster recovery (DR) solution for a critical database running on Amazon RDS for MySQL. The RTO is 15 minutes and RPO is 5 minutes. The primary region is us-east-1. Which solution meets these requirements?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "primary"
Why it matters: Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Enable Multi-AZ deployment with a DB cluster.
Synchronous replication and automatic failover meet RTO/RPO.
Use automated backups with 5-minute retention.
Why wrong: Automated backups are not for failover.
Take manual snapshots every 5 minutes and copy to another region.
Why wrong: Snapshot restore takes longer than 15 minutes.
Create a cross-region read replica in us-west-2.
Why wrong: Asynchronous replication may exceed RPO.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable Multi-AZ deployment with a DB cluster.
Option A is correct because a Multi-AZ DB cluster deployment for Amazon RDS for MySQL provides automatic failover to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone within the same region, achieving an RTO of typically 1–2 minutes and an RPO of effectively zero (synchronous replication). This meets the 15-minute RTO and 5-minute RPO requirements without any manual intervention or cross-region latency.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Enable Multi-AZ deployment with a DB cluster.
Why this is correct
Synchronous replication and automatic failover meet RTO/RPO.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "primary" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Use automated backups with 5-minute retention.
Why it's wrong here
Automated backups are not for failover.
Take manual snapshots every 5 minutes and copy to another region.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshot restore takes longer than 15 minutes.
Create a cross-region read replica in us-west-2.
Why it's wrong here
Asynchronous replication may exceed RPO.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often confuse Multi-AZ (which provides high availability within a region) with cross-region replication (which is asynchronous and cannot meet tight RPO/RPO), or they assume automated backups or snapshots can achieve sub-15-minute RTO, ignoring the restore time overhead.
Detailed technical explanation
Multi-AZ DB cluster uses synchronous replication across three Availability Zones (primary, standby, and reader) with automatic failover handled by Amazon RDS’s DNS endpoint update, typically completing within 60 seconds. Under the hood, the MySQL engine uses semi-synchronous replication to ensure zero data loss on failover, but the RPO is effectively zero because transactions are committed on both primary and standby before acknowledging the client. In a real-world scenario, if the primary AZ fails, the RDS service automatically promotes a standby to primary, and the application reconnects via the same endpoint, meeting stringent RTO/RPO without manual scripting.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
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FAQ
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Enable Multi-AZ deployment with a DB cluster. — Option A is correct because a Multi-AZ DB cluster deployment for Amazon RDS for MySQL provides automatic failover to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone within the same region, achieving an RTO of typically 1–2 minutes and an RPO of effectively zero (synchronous replication). This meets the 15-minute RTO and 5-minute RPO requirements without any manual intervention or cross-region latency.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Yes — watch for: "primary". Asks for the main purpose or function, not a secondary benefit. Eliminate answers that describe side-effects or partial functions.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026
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.
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