SAP-C02 Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions Practice Question
A company runs a web application on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The application writes logs to local instance storage. The operations team wants to centralize log analysis using Amazon CloudWatch Logs. The team needs a solution that is resilient to instance failures and does not lose logs. Which TWO options should the team implement? (Choose TWO.)
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
✓
Mount an EFS volume to the instances for log storage
(EFS volume) ensures log persistence even if an instance fails, because EFS is a shared, durable file system. Option C (CloudWatch agent) streams logs to CloudWatch Logs in near real-time, enabling centralized analysis. Option A (lifecycle hooks) is not sufficient for streaming logs to CloudWatch; it only helps with final log delivery on instance termination but doesn't provide real-time streaming. Option D (SQS) adds unnecessary complexity; CloudWatch agent can directly stream logs. Option E (S3) is not needed when using CloudWatch Logs.
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 the CloudWatch agent with the auto-scaling group lifecycle hooks
Why it's wrong here
Lifecycle hooks can help drain but agent streaming is already covered by A.
- ✓
Mount an EFS volume to the instances for log storage
Why this is correct
Persistent storage ensures logs survive instance termination.
- ✓
Install the CloudWatch Logs agent on each EC2 instance to stream logs to CloudWatch Logs
Why this is correct
Streams logs to CloudWatch Logs in real-time.
- ✗
Configure the Auto Scaling group to send logs to Amazon S3 on instance termination
Why it's wrong here
Instance termination might not allow reliable upload.
- ✗
Use Amazon SQS to buffer log events before sending to CloudWatch Logs
Why it's wrong here
Adds unnecessary complexity and latency.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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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.