Optimal EBS Configuration for SAP HANA on AWS
An organization is deploying a large SAP HANA system on AWS. They need to ensure that the EBS volumes for the /hana/data and /hana/log directories are configured with optimal performance and resilience. Which configuration should they use?
Quick Answer
The answer is to use io2 Block Express volumes with /hana/data on a RAID 0 set and /hana/log on a RAID 1 set. This configuration is correct because SAP HANA demands extremely high IOPS and low latency for the data volume, which RAID 0 maximizes by striping across multiple io2 Block Express volumes, while the log volume requires both performance and resilience, which RAID 1 provides through mirroring. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of the specific EBS volume types and RAID levels mandated for optimal SAP HANA storage configuration on AWS, often appearing as a trap where candidates confuse the RAID levels or choose gp3 volumes that cannot sustain the required throughput. A common mistake is placing both directories on a single RAID set, which violates SAP’s separation requirement. Remember the memory tip: “Data stripes for speed, Log mirrors for safety” — keep /hana/data on RAID 0 and /hana/log on RAID 1 with io2 Block Express.
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume RAID 1 is always for data and RAID 0 for logs, but SAP HANA specifically requires RAID 0 for /hana/data to maximize performance and RAID 1 for /hana/log to ensure resilience, reversing the common intuition.
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 io2 Block Express volumes with /hana/data on a RAID 0 set and /hana/log on a RAID 1 set
SAP HANA requires high IOPS and low latency for /hana/data, which benefits from RAID 0 striping across multiple io2 Block Express volumes to maximize throughput and capacity. For /hana/log, RAID 1 mirroring provides the necessary resilience to protect against volume failure while maintaining the write performance critical for transaction log durability. io2 Block Express volumes offer up to 256,000 IOPS and 4,000 MB/s throughput per volume, making them ideal for this high-performance workload.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use io2 Block Express volumes with /hana/data on a RAID 1 set and /hana/log on a RAID 0 set
Why it's wrong here
Data needs performance (RAID 0), log needs resilience (RAID 1).
- ✗
Use a single large gp3 EBS volume for both /hana/data and /hana/log
Why it's wrong here
Separate volumes are needed for isolation and performance.
- ✓
Use io2 Block Express volumes with /hana/data on a RAID 0 set and /hana/log on a RAID 1 set
Why this is correct
RAID 0 for data performance, RAID 1 for log resilience.
- ✗
Use io2 Block Express volumes with /hana/data on one volume and /hana/log on another, no RAID
Why it's wrong here
RAID is recommended to meet performance requirements.
Quick reference
RAID Level Comparison
| RAID Level | Min Disks | Fault Tolerance | Read | Write | Usable Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RAID 0 | 2 | None | Excellent | Excellent | 100% |
| RAID 1 | 2 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 50% |
| RAID 5 | 3 | 1 disk | Good | Moderate | 67–94% |
| RAID 6 | 4 | 2 disks | Good | Lower | 50–88% |
| RAID 10 | 4 | 1 disk per mirror | Excellent | Good | 50% |
RAID is not a backup strategy — it protects against disk failure but not against accidental deletion, ransomware, or site-level events.
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1 more way this is tested on PAS-C01
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Variation 1. An SAP system on AWS requires persistent storage for its database logs. Which storage option should be used to meet the performance requirements of SAP HANA?
easy- A.Instance store volumes
- ✓ B.Amazon EBS io2 Block Express volumes
- C.Amazon S3
- D.Amazon EFS
Why B: Amazon EBS io2 Block Express volumes provide the highest performance, durability, and low latency required for SAP HANA database logs. They offer up to 256,000 IOPS per volume and sub-millisecond latency, meeting SAP's certification requirements for persistent storage of HANA data and log volumes.
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.