The correct answer is to use an Application Load Balancer with TLS termination at the application tier, as this provides encryption in transit between the SAP application and database tiers with minimal latency. This works because the ALB handles the TLS handshake and decryption at the application layer, offloading the CPU-intensive cryptographic work from the EC2 instances, while the traffic between the ALB and the database can remain within the same VPC without additional encryption overhead. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how to meet security requirements for encrypting traffic between SAP app and database tiers in transit without sacrificing performance, often trapping candidates who mistakenly choose IPsec or TLS on each instance. A common memory tip is "ALB for app-tier encryption, not instance-level IPsec," since IPsec requires a VPN or Transit Gateway and adds complexity, while TLS termination at the ALB keeps latency low and management simple.
PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 system is running on EC2 instances in a VPC. The security team requires that all traffic between the SAP application and database tiers be encrypted in transit. Which solution meets this requirement with minimal latency?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use security groups to allow traffic only between the instances, with IPsec configured
Option C is correct because using an Application Load Balancer with TLS termination at the application tier adds latency and complexity. Option A (AWS VPN) is for site-to-site, not internal. Option B (TLS certificates on each instance) adds CPU overhead for encryption. Option D is correct because using security groups with IPsec is not possible natively; IPsec requires VPN or Transit Gateway.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Use an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection between the tiers
Why it's wrong here
VPN is for external connectivity, not internal VPC traffic.
✓
Use security groups to allow traffic only between the instances, with IPsec configured
Why this is correct
IPsec within the same VPC can encrypt traffic with minimal latency when implemented correctly.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
✗
Use an Application Load Balancer with TLS termination in front of the database tier
Why it's wrong here
ALB adds latency and is not designed for database traffic.
✗
Install TLS certificates on each EC2 instance and enable HTTPS
Why it's wrong here
Adds CPU overhead for encryption/decryption, increasing latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
→Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
→Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
→Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
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.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PAS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use security groups to allow traffic only between the instances, with IPsec configured — Option C is correct because using an Application Load Balancer with TLS termination at the application tier adds latency and complexity. Option A (AWS VPN) is for site-to-site, not internal. Option B (TLS certificates on each instance) adds CPU overhead for encryption. Option D is correct because using security groups with IPsec is not possible natively; IPsec requires VPN or Transit Gateway.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PAS-C01 NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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Question Discussion
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