The answer is misconfigured Network ACLs blocking return traffic. This is the likely cause because Network ACLs are stateless, meaning they evaluate inbound and outbound traffic independently; even if the inbound rule on the database subnet’s NACL permits traffic from the SAP application servers, the outbound rule must explicitly allow the return traffic on ephemeral ports back to those servers. Without this, response packets are silently dropped, causing intermittent connectivity between the application and HANA database across Availability Zones. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the stateless versus stateful distinction—a common trap where candidates assume security groups alone suffice, forgetting that NACLs govern subnet boundaries. A reliable memory tip: “Security groups remember, NACLs forget”—security groups automatically track connection state, while NACLs require explicit rules for every direction of traffic.
PAS-C01 Design of SAP Workloads on AWS Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An SAP on AWS environment is experiencing intermittent connectivity issues between the SAP application servers and the SAP HANA database. Both are in the same VPC but in different Availability Zones. The network team has confirmed that the security groups allow traffic on the required ports. What is a likely cause of the issue?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Network ACLs are misconfigured, blocking return traffic.
Network ACLs are stateless, meaning they evaluate inbound and outbound traffic separately. Even if inbound rules allow traffic from the SAP application servers to the HANA database, the outbound rules on the database subnet's NACL must explicitly allow the return traffic (ephemeral ports) back to the application servers. Misconfigured outbound rules in the NACL can drop the response packets, causing intermittent connectivity issues between the application and database tiers across Availability Zones.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
AWS Shield Advanced is blocking legitimate traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Shield is for DDoS protection, not blocking legitimate traffic.
✓
Network ACLs are misconfigured, blocking return traffic.
Why this is correct
NACLs are stateless and must allow both inbound and outbound.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
VPC Flow Logs are enabled and dropping packets.
Why it's wrong here
Flow Logs only log, they do not drop packets.
✗
The VPC is using AWS Direct Connect, which adds latency.
Why it's wrong here
Direct Connect would not cause intermittent connectivity.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume security groups (which are stateful) are the only firewall layer, forgetting that Network ACLs are stateless and require explicit outbound rules for return traffic, especially when traffic crosses Availability Zones.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Network ACLs operate at the subnet level and are stateless, requiring explicit rules for both inbound and outbound traffic. For a TCP connection from an application server (source) to a HANA database (destination), the database's response uses a random ephemeral port (typically 1024-65535) as the destination port. If the outbound NACL on the database subnet does not allow traffic from the HANA port (e.g., 3xx41 for HANA) to the ephemeral port range, the return packets are dropped, causing connection timeouts or intermittent failures. This is a common misconfiguration when deploying multi-AZ SAP landscapes.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — This question tests Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Network ACLs are misconfigured, blocking return traffic. — Network ACLs are stateless, meaning they evaluate inbound and outbound traffic separately. Even if inbound rules allow traffic from the SAP application servers to the HANA database, the outbound rules on the database subnet's NACL must explicitly allow the return traffic (ephemeral ports) back to the application servers. Misconfigured outbound rules in the NACL can drop the response packets, causing intermittent connectivity issues between the application and database tiers across Availability Zones.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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