PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
An administrator needs to apply a critical OS security patch to multiple SAP application servers in an Auto Scaling group without disrupting ongoing operations. Which strategy should be used?
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
✓
Use AWS CloudFormation with a rolling update policy to gradually replace instances in the Auto Scaling group.
Using AWS CloudFormation with a rolling update policy allows gradual replacement of instances in the Auto Scaling group, applying the patch without downtime. Option A (stop all instances) causes downtime. Option C (Systems Manager Patch Manager) may not handle Auto Scaling gracefully and could patch instances inconsistently. Option D (new AMI and terminate all instances) is a blue/green approach that can cause disruption if not carefully managed.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Stop all instances, apply the patch using AWS Systems Manager, then restart all instances.
Why it's wrong here
This causes full downtime.
- ✓
Use AWS CloudFormation with a rolling update policy to gradually replace instances in the Auto Scaling group.
Why this is correct
Rolling update minimizes downtime by replacing instances one by one.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to patch instances at the next maintenance window.
Why it's wrong here
Patch Manager does not coordinate with Auto Scaling to avoid disruption.
- ✗
Create a new Amazon Machine Image (AMI) with the patch, update the Auto Scaling group's launch configuration, and terminate all instances.
Why it's wrong here
Terminating all instances causes downtime.
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JA
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.