PAS-C01 Operations and Maintenance Practice Question
An SAP system is running on EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group. The operations team needs to ensure that when a new instance is launched, it is automatically registered with the SAP Application Server's load balancer. Which approach should be used?
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
✓
Use a lifecycle hook with a Lambda function that runs a script to register the instance with the SAP load balancer.
Lifecycle hooks allow the Auto Scaling group to pause instance launch and run custom actions (via Lambda) to register the instance with the load balancer before it becomes healthy.
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 a lifecycle hook with a Lambda function that runs a script to register the instance with the SAP load balancer.
Why this is correct
Lifecycle hooks are designed for this purpose, allowing custom actions during instance launch/termination.
- ✗
Modify the AMI to include a startup script that registers the instance with the SAP load balancer.
Why it's wrong here
Startup scripts may fail to execute before the instance becomes healthy, and there is no coordination with Auto Scaling.
- ✗
Configure the Auto Scaling group to use an Elastic Load Balancer target group, and set health checks.
Why it's wrong here
ELB integration automatically registers instances, but not with SAP's own load balancer; it's for AWS ELB.
- ✗
Use an AWS Lambda function triggered by a CloudWatch Events rule for EC2 instance state changes to register the instance.
Why it's wrong here
A Lambda function triggered by EC2 state changes provides a reactive mechanism for custom actions, but it lacks the native, declarative integration Auto Scaling groups offer with AWS Elastic Load Balancers. Auto Scaling groups are designed to automatically register instances with attached target groups upon launch, eliminating the need for bespoke scripting. This approach is tempting as Lambda can perform actions post-launch, making it suitable for tasks like updating a custom inventory system or triggering a third-party service integration not natively supported by AWS.
Quick reference
Cloud Service Model Comparison
| Model | You Manage | Provider Manages | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| IaaS | OS, runtime, apps, data | Hardware, hypervisor, networking | EC2, Azure VMs, GCP Compute Engine |
| PaaS | Apps and data | OS, runtime, middleware, hardware | Elastic Beanstalk, Azure App Service |
| SaaS | Data and settings only | Everything else | Microsoft 365, Salesforce, Workday |
| FaaS / Serverless | Function code only | Infra, scaling, runtime | Lambda, Azure Functions, Cloud Run |
| CaaS | Containers and apps | Kubernetes, OS, hardware | EKS, AKS, GKE |
Go deeper
Related to this question
About these practice questions
One of 1,616 original PAS-C01 practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.