This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 runs SAP on AWS and wants to reduce costs by stopping non-production instances during off-hours. Which AWS service can automatically start and stop EC2 instances on a schedule?
AWS Systems Manager Maintenance Windows
Why wrong: Maintenance Windows are for patching, not start/stop.
AWS Instance Scheduler
Instance Scheduler automates start/stop on a schedule.
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why wrong: Alarms can trigger actions but not complex schedules.
EC2 Auto Scaling
Why wrong: Auto Scaling is for maintaining instance count, not scheduling.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
AWS Instance Scheduler
Option D is correct because AWS Instance Scheduler is a solution that automatically starts and stops instances based on a schedule. Option A is wrong because EC2 Auto Scaling is for scaling, not scheduling. Option B is wrong because Systems Manager Maintenance Windows are for patching, not instance scheduling. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Alarms can trigger actions but not complex schedules.
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
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
AWS Systems Manager Maintenance Windows
Why it's wrong here
Maintenance Windows are for patching, not start/stop.
AWS Instance Scheduler
Why this is correct
Instance Scheduler automates start/stop on a schedule.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
Amazon CloudWatch Alarms
Why it's wrong here
Alarms can trigger actions but not complex schedules.
EC2 Auto Scaling
Why it's wrong here
Auto Scaling is for maintaining instance count, not scheduling.
Common exam traps
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
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.
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
A startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
What to study next
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 PAS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
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FAQ
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
The correct answer is: AWS Instance Scheduler — Option D is correct because AWS Instance Scheduler is a solution that automatically starts and stops instances based on a schedule. Option A is wrong because EC2 Auto Scaling is for scaling, not scheduling. Option B is wrong because Systems Manager Maintenance Windows are for patching, not instance scheduling. Option C is wrong because CloudWatch Alarms can trigger actions but not complex schedules.
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 PAS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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