PAS-C01 Multi-AZ Deployment Practice Question
A company uses SAP S/4HANA on AWS with a multi-AZ deployment. The primary database is in us-east-1a and the secondary in us-east-1b. During a failover test, the secondary database becomes active but performance degrades significantly. Which configuration is most likely causing the performance issue?
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
✓
The secondary instance is a smaller instance type than the primary
In a multi-AZ deployment, the secondary instance should match the primary's instance type to ensure consistent performance after failover. If the secondary is smaller, it lacks the CPU, memory, and network resources needed to handle the same workload, leading to performance degradation. Option A is incorrect because both instances should be in the same VPC for proper replication; being in different VPCs would break connectivity. Option C is incorrect because different storage types (e.g., GP2 vs. Provisioned IOPS) can also cause performance issues, but the question specifically asks about the most likely cause given the scenario. Option D is incorrect because HANA version differences would cause compatibility issues, not necessarily performance degradation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The secondary instance is in a different VPC
Why it's wrong here
Different VPCs would prevent connectivity, not just degrade performance.
- ✓
The secondary instance is a smaller instance type than the primary
Why this is correct
Smaller instance type cannot handle the same workload, causing performance degradation.
- ✗
The secondary instance uses a different storage type (e.g., GP2 instead of Provisioned IOPS)
Why it's wrong here
Storage type mismatch affects performance but is less likely than instance size mismatch.
- ✗
The secondary database is running a different HANA version
Why it's wrong here
HANA version difference would likely cause incompatibility, not just performance degradation.
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 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.