PAS-C01 Amazon EFS Burst Credits Practice Question
A company runs SAP BusinessObjects on AWS using multiple EC2 instances. The system uses a shared file system (EFS) for the repository and output files. Recently, users have reported that generating large reports takes much longer than usual. The SAP administrator checks the EFS metrics in CloudWatch and sees that the BurstCreditBalance is consistently near zero. The EFS file system is in General Purpose mode with default throughput settings. The current size of the file system is 500 GB. What should the administrator do to improve performance?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mistake is to assume that Max I/O mode (option B) solves burst credit exhaustion because it provides higher burst throughput. However, Max I/O is a performance mode that optimizes for high concurrency, not sustained throughput. For SAP workloads, Provisioned Throughput (option C) is the recommended solution to ensure consistent performance.
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
✓
Switch to Provisioned Throughput mode and set a higher value.
With BurstCreditBalance consistently near zero, the EFS file system has exhausted its burst credits. For SAP workloads that require consistent throughput and have high I/O demands, AWS recommends using Provisioned Throughput mode to ensure predictable performance. This allows the administrator to specify a higher throughput value independent of the file system size, which resolves the performance issue for large report generation. Option B is incorrect because enabling Max I/O mode changes the performance mode, not the throughput mode. Max I/O is designed for workloads with high concurrency and does not guarantee consistent throughput; it may not provide the stable performance needed for SAP. Option A is incorrect because EFS One Zone is for cost savings in a single AZ and does not improve throughput. Option D is incorrect because while adding data increases baseline throughput slightly, it is not an efficient or practical solution and may not provide sufficient throughput.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Migrate the EFS file system to EFS One Zone for better performance.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. EFS One Zone is for cost optimization by using a single Availability Zone, but it does not improve throughput performance.
- ✗
Enable Max I/O throughput mode on the EFS file system.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Max I/O mode is designed for high concurrency workloads, not for providing consistent throughput when burst credits are exhausted. It does not guarantee predictable performance for SAP report generation.
- ✓
Switch to Provisioned Throughput mode and set a higher value.
Why this is correct
Correct. Provisioned Throughput mode allows setting a specific throughput value, ensuring consistent performance without relying on burst credits.
- ✗
Increase the size of the EFS file system by adding more data to it.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Adding data increases the baseline throughput slightly, but it is not an efficient or practical solution and may not provide sufficient improvement for the issue.
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