PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
An SAP administrator is configuring high availability for SAP HANA on AWS. Which TWO components are essential for a Pacemaker-based cluster?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse high-availability components like load balancers or DNS health checks with the cluster-internal mechanisms (fencing and VIP) that Pacemaker specifically requires to maintain data consistency and provide a single endpoint for SAP HANA clients.
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
✓
A quorum device (e.g., STONITH)
A quorum device (e.g., STONITH) is essential for a Pacemaker-based cluster because it provides fencing, which ensures that a failed or partitioned node cannot continue to access shared resources or cause data corruption. STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head) acts as the cluster's final arbiter, forcibly isolating or powering off an unresponsive node to maintain data integrity and prevent split-brain scenarios.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
A quorum device (e.g., STONITH)
Why this is correct
STONITH ensures node fencing to prevent split-brain.
- ✗
An Application Load Balancer
Why it's wrong here
ALB is not typically used for SAP HANA HA; Pacemaker manages VIP.
- ✗
Amazon Route 53 health checks
Why it's wrong here
Route 53 can be used but is not essential for Pacemaker.
- ✓
A virtual IP address
Why this is correct
VIP allows clients to connect to the active node.
- ✗
Amazon CloudWatch alarms
Why it's wrong here
CloudWatch is for monitoring, not required for cluster operation.
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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.