PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
An SAP Basis administrator needs to apply an OS-level security patch to a fleet of SAP EC2 instances running Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The instances are part of an Auto Scaling group. Which approach is the MOST efficient and minimizes downtime?
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
✓
Create a new AMI with the patch applied, update the launch template, and perform a rolling update via Auto Scaling.
The most efficient and minimizes downtime because it uses a rolling update strategy. By creating a new AMI with the patch applied and updating the launch template in the Auto Scaling group, instances are gradually replaced without stopping all at once. Option A is incorrect because manually terminating instances is not efficient and doesn't leverage Auto Scaling automation. Option B is incorrect because stopping all instances to apply a patch causes downtime. Option C is incorrect because while Systems Manager Patch Manager can apply patches, simultaneous patching without a rolling update risks service disruption, especially if reboots are required. The rolling update via Auto Scaling ensures high availability.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a custom AMI and manually terminate each instance to launch new ones.
Why it's wrong here
Manual termination is less efficient and error-prone.
- ✗
Stop all instances, apply the patch using a script, and restart them.
Why it's wrong here
This causes full downtime.
- ✗
Use AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager to apply the patch to all instances simultaneously.
Why it's wrong here
Simultaneous patching can cause downtime if instances are in service.
- ✓
Create a new AMI with the patch applied, update the launch template, and perform a rolling update via Auto Scaling.
Why this is correct
This minimizes downtime by replacing instances one by one.
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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.