- A
The security groups for the application servers do not allow traffic from the ALB.
Why wrong: If security groups blocked traffic, the health checks would fail and instances would be unhealthy.
- B
The SSL certificate on the ALB has expired.
Why wrong: Expired SSL would cause TLS errors, not necessarily 503.
- C
The target group health checks are misconfigured, marking instances as healthy when they are not.
Why wrong: The team already checked and found instances healthy; health check misconfiguration would show unhealthy instances.
- D
The ALB connection draining timeout is set too low, causing requests to be routed to instances that are being de-registered.
Connection draining ensures in-flight requests complete, but if timeout is too short, requests may fail.
PAS-C01 Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay) Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. A key principle to apply: connection Draining (Deregistration Delay). 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 Business Suite on AWS. The SAP application servers are behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The operations team notices that occasionally, some requests fail with HTTP 503 errors. The team checks the ALB and finds that the target group has healthy instances. The SAP application logs show no errors. What is the most likely cause of the 503 errors?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"most likely"Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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 ALB connection draining timeout is set too low, causing requests to be routed to instances that are being de-registered.
The correct answer is D. Connection draining (also known as deregistration delay) allows the ALB to complete in-flight requests to instances that are being de-registered. If the timeout is set too low, the ALB may terminate connections prematurely, causing the client to receive a 503 error even though the target group shows healthy instances. Option A is incorrect because security group misconfigurations would typically result in connection timeouts or 504 errors, not 503. Option B is incorrect because an expired SSL certificate on the ALB would cause SSL handshake failures, not 503 errors. Option C is incorrect because if health checks were misconfigured, the ALB would route traffic to unhealthy instances, likely causing application errors rather than ALB-level 503 errors.
Key principle: Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay)
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 security groups for the application servers do not allow traffic from the ALB.
Why it's wrong here
If security groups blocked traffic, the health checks would fail and instances would be unhealthy.
- ✗
The SSL certificate on the ALB has expired.
Why it's wrong here
Expired SSL would cause TLS errors, not necessarily 503.
- ✗
The target group health checks are misconfigured, marking instances as healthy when they are not.
Why it's wrong here
The team already checked and found instances healthy; health check misconfiguration would show unhealthy instances.
- ✓
The ALB connection draining timeout is set too low, causing requests to be routed to instances that are being de-registered.
Why this is correct
Connection draining ensures in-flight requests complete, but if timeout is too short, requests may fail.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay)
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap is that the target group shows healthy instances and the application logs show no errors, leading teams to overlook connection draining settings. The 503 error is likely due to the ALB routing requests to instances that are being de-registered before the connection draining timeout expires.
Trap categories for this question
Command / output trap
The team already checked and found instances healthy; health check misconfiguration would show unhealthy instances.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay)
- HTTP 503 Error
- Target Group Deregistration
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay)
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review connection Draining (Deregistration Delay), then practise related PAS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay).
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The ALB connection draining timeout is set too low, causing requests to be routed to instances that are being de-registered. — The correct answer is D. Connection draining (also known as deregistration delay) allows the ALB to complete in-flight requests to instances that are being de-registered. If the timeout is set too low, the ALB may terminate connections prematurely, causing the client to receive a 503 error even though the target group shows healthy instances. Option A is incorrect because security group misconfigurations would typically result in connection timeouts or 504 errors, not 503. Option B is incorrect because an expired SSL certificate on the ALB would cause SSL handshake failures, not 503 errors. Option C is incorrect because if health checks were misconfigured, the ALB would route traffic to unhealthy instances, likely causing application errors rather than ALB-level 503 errors.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Review connection Draining (Deregistration Delay), then practise related PAS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Connection Draining (Deregistration Delay)
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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