PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
An SAP Basis administrator notices that the SAP application server logs show repeated connection timeouts to the database. The database is running on an RDS for SAP HANA instance. The application server and database are in the same VPC but different subnets. The security groups allow inbound traffic from the application server's security group on port 3xx17. Network ACLs allow both inbound and outbound traffic on ephemeral ports. Despite this, connections fail intermittently. What is the most likely cause?
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
✓
The security group for the RDS instance does not allow inbound traffic on the HANA internal communication port (e.g., 3xx18).
SAP HANA uses multiple ports for internal communication. While port 3xx17 (SQL) is allowed, the missing inbound rule for the HANA internal communication port (e.g., 3xx18) causes intermittent connection timeouts. Option A is incorrect because RDS DNS names are stable and do not change intermittently. Option B is incorrect because network ACLs are stateless, but the problem states both inbound and outbound are allowed on ephemeral ports, so return traffic is not blocked. Option D is incorrect because route tables within a VPC use local routes for database traffic, and NAT gateways do not affect intra-VPC traffic.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The RDS instance's DNS name resolves to a different IP address intermittently.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. RDS DNS names are stable and do not change intermittently, so this is unlikely to cause connection timeouts.
- ✗
The network ACL is stateful and blocking return traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Network ACLs are stateless, but the configuration described (allowing inbound and outbound on ephemeral ports) is correct for stateless ACLs, so this is not the issue.
- ✓
The security group for the RDS instance does not allow inbound traffic on the HANA internal communication port (e.g., 3xx18).
Why this is correct
Correct. SAP HANA requires an additional internal communication port (e.g., 3xx18) to be allowed in the security group. Without it, connections may fail intermittently.
- ✗
The application server's subnet has a route table that points to a NAT gateway instead of the database subnet.
Why it's wrong here
Incorrect. Route tables within a VPC use local routes for communication between subnets, so a NAT gateway in the route table does not affect database traffic within the same VPC.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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