Recovering SAP EC2 Instances from Failed Status Checks
An SAP administrator is troubleshooting an issue where the SAP system is not responding. The administrator checks the AWS Management Console and finds that the EC2 instance status checks are failing. Which three actions should the administrator take to recover the instance? (Choose THREE.)
Quick Answer
Recovering an EC2 instance with failing status checks calls for a specific, ordered set of actions rather than any single fix, because the underlying cause could range from a transient software issue to an actual hardware problem on the host, and each of those calls for a different remedy. Checking the system logs first is the diagnostic step that helps determine what's actually going wrong before taking any disruptive action. Rebooting the instance is a low-risk next step that can resolve many transient issues without losing the instance's state, data, or configuration, since a reboot doesn't move the instance to different underlying hardware. If the problem persists after a reboot, stopping and then starting the instance goes a step further, because that action actually migrates the instance to new underlying hardware, which is what's needed if the root cause is a hardware-level failure on the host the instance was originally running on rather than something fixable within the guest OS. The other two options don't address instance health at all: changing the instance type doesn't fix an underlying hardware problem causing failed status checks, and attaching a new EBS volume has no bearing on the instance's own health status. The general troubleshooting order to remember for status check failures is to diagnose via logs, try a reboot, and escalate to a stop and start if the issue persists, since stop and start is the step that actually gets you off potentially faulty hardware.
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
✓
Check the system logs for errors
The administrator should first check the system logs (Option B) to gather diagnostic information about the failure. Rebooting the instance (Option D) can resolve transient issues without losing instance state. If the issue persists, stopping and starting the instance (Option E) migrates it to new underlying hardware, which can fix hardware-related failures. Changing the instance type (Option A) does not address hardware issues causing status checks to fail. Attaching a new EBS volume (Option C) does not help with instance health issues.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Change the instance type
Why it's wrong here
Changing type does not always resolve hardware issues.
- ✓
Check the system logs for errors
Why this is correct
Logs help identify the cause of failure.
- ✗
Attach a new EBS volume
Why it's wrong here
Attaching a volume does not fix instance health.
- ✓
Reboot the instance
Why this is correct
Reboot may resolve temporary issues.
- ✓
Stop and start the instance
Why this is correct
Stopping and starting moves the instance to new hypervisor.
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Variation 1. An SAP administrator receives an alert that the SAP application server is not responding. The administrator checks the EC2 console and sees that the instance state is 'running' but the status checks have failed. Which step should be taken first to restore the SAP application?
hard- A.Terminate the instance and launch a new one using the same AMI.
- ✓ B.Use the EC2 console to stop and start the instance, which will move it to new underlying hardware.
- C.Reboot the EC2 instance from the AWS Management Console.
- D.Create a new EC2 instance from the latest AMI and attach the existing EBS volumes.
Why B: When status checks fail, the instance may have underlying hardware issues. Stopping and starting the instance (Option B) moves it to new hardware, which can resolve hardware-related failures and restore the SAP application. Option A is incorrect because terminating the instance loses the existing configuration and EBS volumes (unless termination protection is disabled and volumes are set to survive). Option C is incorrect because rebooting only restarts the OS; it does not change the underlying hardware, so hardware issues persist. Option D is incorrect because creating a new instance and attaching existing volumes is more time-consuming and complex; the simpler stop/start action should be attempted first.
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.