The answer is that the ALB idle timeout setting is shorter than the SAP session timeout. This mismatch causes the Application Load Balancer to close the TCP connection prematurely when no data is transferred during a long-running SAP transaction or background job, even though the SAP session itself remains active. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of how network-level timeouts interact with application-level session management, often appearing as a trick where you must distinguish between a load balancer configuration issue and an SAP application error. A common trap is to blame the SAP system or network latency, but the root cause is the ALB’s default idle timeout of 60 seconds conflicting with SAP’s longer session timeout. Remember the memory tip: “ALB drops the line before SAP drops the session.”
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. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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 on AWS uses an Application Load Balancer (ALB) to distribute traffic to multiple SAP application servers. The ALB is configured with a TCP listener. Users report that some sessions are terminated unexpectedly. What is the MOST likely cause?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "most likely"
Why it matters: Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The ALB idle timeout setting is shorter than the SAP session timeout.
The ALB's idle timeout setting controls how long the load balancer keeps a connection open without data transfer. If this timeout is shorter than the SAP session timeout, the ALB will close the connection prematurely, causing the user's session to be terminated unexpectedly. This is a common mismatch when long-running SAP transactions or background jobs do not send data within the ALB's idle timeout window.
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.
✗
The ALB is not configured with SSL termination.
Why it's wrong here
SSL termination is not required for SAP protocol on TCP.
✗
The target group health check interval is set too low.
Why it's wrong here
Low health check interval can cause flapping but not session termination.
✓
The ALB idle timeout setting is shorter than the SAP session timeout.
Why this is correct
If idle timeout is lower than SAP session timeout, connections are dropped.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
The ALB is configured with cross-zone load balancing disabled.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-zone load balancing affects load distribution, not session persistence.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the ALB's idle timeout with the target group health check interval, assuming that frequent health checks cause session drops, when in fact health checks do not affect established connections.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The ALB's idle timeout defaults to 60 seconds for TCP listeners, but SAP application servers often have session timeouts configured at the application level (e.g., in the SAP profile parameter rdisp/gui_auto_logout) that can be much longer, such as 30 minutes. When the ALB closes the connection due to its idle timeout, the SAP application server sees a TCP RST, which terminates the user's session abruptly. This is a classic layer-4 vs. layer-7 timeout mismatch that requires adjusting the ALB's idle timeout to match or exceed the SAP session timeout, or implementing keep-alive mechanisms.
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 cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.
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: The ALB idle timeout setting is shorter than the SAP session timeout. — The ALB's idle timeout setting controls how long the load balancer keeps a connection open without data transfer. If this timeout is shorter than the SAP session timeout, the ALB will close the connection prematurely, causing the user's session to be terminated unexpectedly. This is a common mismatch when long-running SAP transactions or background jobs do not send data within the ALB's idle timeout window.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "most likely". Probability qualifier — the question wants the most probable cause or outcome, not a guaranteed one. Eliminate low-probability options.
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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