PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
An SAP ERP system on AWS is experiencing intermittent connectivity issues between the SAP application servers and the database server. Both are in the same VPC, but in different subnets. The security group for the database allows traffic from the application security group. Network ACLs are default (allow all). Despite this, some application servers cannot connect during peak loads. 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 connection tracking table for the database security group is full, dropping new connections.
AWS security groups are stateful and track connections. Under peak loads, the connection tracking table can become full, causing new connections to be dropped. Option A is wrong because security groups do not have a rule evaluation limit; they evaluate all rules. Option C is wrong because a NAT Gateway is used for outbound internet traffic, not for internal VPC communication. Option D is wrong because VPC Endpoints are used for accessing AWS services privately, not for database connectivity.
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 security group inbound rule for the database has reached its rule evaluation limit.
Why it's wrong here
Security group rules are evaluated logically; there is no rule evaluation limit causing intermittent drops.
- ✓
The connection tracking table for the database security group is full, dropping new connections.
Why this is correct
Security groups maintain connection tracking; when the table fills, new connections are dropped until old ones expire.
- ✗
The application servers are using a single NAT Gateway for outbound traffic, causing a bottleneck.
Why it's wrong here
NAT Gateway is for outbound internet traffic, not for internal VPC communication.
- ✗
The database is accessed through a VPC Endpoint, which is rate-limiting connections.
Why it's wrong here
VPC Endpoints are used for AWS services like S3, not for database connectivity within the same VPC.
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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.