PAS-C01 Instance Stop/Start Practice Question
A company has a large SAP HANA database running on an r5.8xlarge instance. They are planning to migrate to a new instance type that supports more memory for future growth. Which migration approach minimizes downtime and requires no data reload?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is that candidates may think taking an EBS snapshot of the root volume (Option D) is sufficient, but in standard SAP HANA deployments on AWS, HANA data and log volumes are separate. Stopping the instance and changing the instance type (Option C) is the simplest and fastest method that preserves all data.
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
✓
Stop the instance, change the instance type, and start the instance.
Stopping the instance, changing the instance type, and starting the instance preserves all attached EBS volumes, including the HANA data and log volumes. This approach requires no data backup or restore, minimizing downtime to just the stop/start cycle. Option D is incorrect because SAP HANA data is typically stored on separate EBS volumes (not the root volume), so an EBS snapshot of only the root volume would not capture the HANA data, necessitating a full data reload. Options A and B both involve time-consuming data replication or backup/restore, resulting in more downtime.
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 AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to replicate data to the new instance.
Why it's wrong here
AWS DMS can replicate data but requires setting up ongoing replication and may not be the simplest approach for a one-time migration; it does not minimize downtime as it involves additional setup and potential data sync.
- ✗
Perform a full HANA database backup and restore to the new instance.
Why it's wrong here
Full HANA backup and restore is time-consuming and requires significant downtime for backup and restore operations, not ideal for minimizing downtime.
- ✓
Stop the instance, change the instance type, and start the instance.
Why this is correct
Correct. Stopping the instance, changing the instance type, and starting the instance keeps all attached EBS volumes intact, preserving HANA data without any reload. This is the quickest approach.
- ✗
Create an Amazon EBS snapshot of the root volume, launch a new instance with the desired type, and attach the snapshot.
Why it's wrong here
Creating an EBS snapshot of the root volume and launching a new instance with that snapshot would only preserve the OS and any data on the root volume. Since SAP HANA data is on separate EBS volumes, this would not capture the HANA data, resulting in data loss or requiring a full reload.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.