CCNA Design of SAP Workloads on AWS Questions — Page 7 of 7

451

MCQhard

A systems administrator is troubleshooting an SAP HANA database that runs on an EC2 instance. The exhibit shows the block device mappings of the EC2 instance. The administrator needs to ensure that the data volumes (/dev/sdf and /dev/sdg) are not accidentally terminated when the instance is terminated. However, the administrator also wants to take a nightly snapshot of these volumes using AWS Backup. Which of the following is a potential issue with the current configuration?

A.The volume /dev/sdf has DeleteOnTermination set to false, which will cause data persistence issues.

B.The device names /dev/sdf and /dev/sdg are reserved for NVMe instance storage and should not be used for EBS.

C.The volumes are attached to a running instance, which prevents snapshot creation.

D.The volumes are not tagged, so AWS Backup may not automatically include them in backup plans.

AnswerD

AWS Backup typically uses tags to identify resources.

Why this answer

Option D is correct because AWS Backup uses resource tags to identify which resources to include in backup plans. If the volumes /dev/sdf and /dev/sdg are not tagged with the appropriate key-value pairs that match the backup plan's tag-based selection criteria, AWS Backup will not automatically discover and include them in nightly snapshots. This can lead to missing backups for critical SAP HANA data volumes.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates may overlook AWS Backup's tag-based resource selection and assume that all attached volumes are automatically backed up, or they may confuse DeleteOnTermination behavior with backup inclusion logic.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because setting DeleteOnTermination to false is the correct configuration to prevent accidental termination of the volumes when the EC2 instance is terminated; it does not cause data persistence issues—it ensures the volumes persist independently. Option B is wrong because /dev/sdf and /dev/sdg are not reserved for NVMe instance storage; NVMe instance store volumes use device names like /dev/nvme0n1, and EBS volumes can be attached using /dev/sd* or /dev/xvd* names. Option C is wrong because EBS volumes can be snapshotted while attached to a running instance; AWS Backup and the EBS Snapshot API support creating snapshots of in-use volumes, though a brief filesystem freeze is recommended for consistency.

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452

MCQmedium

A company is planning to migrate its SAP landscape to AWS. The landscape includes development, quality assurance, and production systems. The company wants to minimize costs by reusing resources across environments. Which AWS feature should be used to enforce resource tagging and compliance?

A.AWS CloudFormation templates with required tags.

B.AWS Resource Access Manager to share resources.

C.AWS Config rules to enforce tagging.

D.AWS Service Catalog with tag options.

AnswerD

Service Catalog enforces tagging and compliance on provisioned products.

Why this answer

Option D is correct because AWS Service Catalog allows organizations to create and manage a catalog of approved IT services, with tagging and compliance policies enforced. Option A is incorrect because AWS Config is for monitoring resource configuration, not for provisioning. Option B is incorrect because AWS Resource Access Manager is for sharing resources, not for governance.

Option C is incorrect because AWS CloudFormation is a provisioning tool but does not enforce tagging policies on its own.

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453

MCQeasy

An SAP HANA database is running on an r5.8xlarge instance. The administrator notices high swap usage and suspects memory pressure. Which AWS metric should be monitored to confirm memory utilization?

A.AWS/Lambda namespace metrics

B.CWAgent namespace metrics

C.EC2 namespace metrics

D.EBS namespace metrics

AnswerB

The CloudWatch agent publishes memory metrics under the CWAgent namespace.

Why this answer

The CWAgent namespace includes memory metrics if the CloudWatch agent is installed and configured. Option A is wrong because the EC2 namespace does not include memory metrics by default. Option B is wrong because EBS metrics are for block storage.

Option D is wrong because Lambda metrics are irrelevant.

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454

Multi-Selecteasy

Which TWO AWS services can be used to monitor the performance of an SAP system running on EC2?

Select 2 answers

A.AWS CloudTrail

B.AWS Shield

C.Amazon CloudWatch

D.Amazon CloudWatch Logs

E.AWS Config

AnswersC, D

CloudWatch monitors EC2 metrics and can trigger alarms.

Why this answer

Option A is correct because CloudWatch provides monitoring for EC2. Option B is correct because Amazon CloudWatch Logs can collect application logs. Option C is wrong because AWS Config is for configuration compliance.

Option D is wrong because AWS CloudTrail is for API auditing. Option E is wrong because AWS Shield is for DDoS protection.

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455

MCQmedium

A company is running SAP S/4HANA on AWS. The application team reports that batch jobs are failing intermittently with database connection timeouts. The SAP system uses a single Availability Zone deployment. Which design change should the architect recommend to improve database availability?

A.Use Amazon EBS Multi-Attach to attach the same volume to multiple EC2 instances

B.Implement an Amazon RDS for SAP HANA read replica

C.Configure SAP HANA System Replication across two Availability Zones

D.Scale up the SAP HANA instance to a larger instance type

AnswerC

SAP HANA System Replication with automatic failover ensures high availability across AZs.

Why this answer

SAP HANA System Replication (HSR) across two Availability Zones provides synchronous or asynchronous data replication at the database level, ensuring that if the primary HANA instance fails, the secondary can take over with minimal downtime. This directly addresses the intermittent database connection timeouts by eliminating the single point of failure in a single-AZ deployment, as the application can failover to the replica without manual intervention.

Exam trap

AWS often tests the misconception that scaling up or adding storage redundancy (like Multi-Attach) solves database availability issues, but the key is that SAP HANA requires database-level replication (HSR) to handle AZ failures, not just infrastructure-level changes.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because Amazon EBS Multi-Attach allows multiple EC2 instances to attach to the same EBS volume, but SAP HANA does not support shared storage for its data and log volumes; HANA requires exclusive access to its storage for consistency and performance, and Multi-Attach does not provide database-level replication or automatic failover. Option B is wrong because Amazon RDS for SAP HANA does not exist; RDS supports several database engines (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL) but not SAP HANA, and read replicas are used for read scaling, not for high availability of a primary database. Option D is wrong because scaling up the instance type increases compute and memory capacity but does not eliminate the single point of failure; if the underlying host or Availability Zone fails, the database still becomes unavailable, and timeouts will persist.

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456

Multi-Selecteasy

A company is planning to migrate their SAP HANA database to AWS. Which TWO of the following are valid EC2 instance types for SAP HANA? (Choose 2.)

Select 2 answers

A.c5.9xlarge

B.t3.2xlarge

C.i3.8xlarge

D.x1e.32xlarge

E.r5.8xlarge

AnswersD, E

x1e is memory-optimized and certified for SAP HANA.

Why this answer

Option D (x1e.32xlarge) is correct because it is part of the X1e instance family, which is specifically certified by SAP for production HANA workloads. These instances offer high memory (up to 3,904 GiB) and are optimized for large in-memory databases like SAP HANA, meeting the SAP memory and vCPU requirements for OLAP and OLTP scenarios.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates often confuse general-purpose or compute-optimized instances (like c5 or t3) with SAP HANA requirements, overlooking that SAP HANA mandates high-memory, SAP-certified instance families such as X1e, R5, or U-6tb1.

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457

MCQhard

A company is implementing an SAP S/4HANA system on AWS. The system must be highly available across multiple Availability Zones. Which of the following strategies should the company implement for the SAP Central Services (ASCS) instance to meet high availability requirements?

A.Deploy a single EC2 instance with a large instance type to handle failover.

B.Configure SAP HANA System Replication between two Availability Zones.

C.Deploy a Pacemaker cluster with two EC2 instances across Availability Zones using a shared file system.

D.Use Amazon RDS for SAP Central Services with Multi-AZ deployment.

AnswerC

Pacemaker cluster ensures automatic failover for ASCS.

Why this answer

Option C is correct because SAP Central Services (ASCS) requires a highly available cluster that can manage the Enqueue and Message Server processes. A Pacemaker cluster across two Availability Zones, using a shared file system (e.g., Amazon EFS or a replicated file system), provides the necessary fencing, resource monitoring, and failover for ASCS. This architecture ensures that if the primary ASCS instance fails, the secondary instance in the other AZ can take over with minimal downtime, meeting the high availability requirement.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates often confuse SAP HANA System Replication (Option B) as a solution for all SAP high availability needs, but it only applies to the database layer, not to the ASCS application services.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because deploying a single EC2 instance, even with a large instance type, does not provide any failover capability across Availability Zones; it represents a single point of failure. Option B is wrong because SAP HANA System Replication is designed for the SAP HANA database layer, not for the ASCS instance; ASCS requires cluster management of application services, not database replication. Option D is wrong because Amazon RDS does not support SAP Central Services; RDS is a managed database service, and SAP ASCS is an application-level component that must run on EC2 instances with a cluster manager.

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458

Multi-Selectmedium

An SAP administrator is troubleshooting a performance issue with SAP HANA. The database is running on an EC2 instance with EBS volumes. Which TWO metrics should be monitored to identify disk I/O bottlenecks? (Choose 2.)

Select 3 answers

A.VolumeIdleTime

B.NetworkIn

C.VolumeReadBytes

D.VolumeWriteBytes

E.CPUUtilization

AnswersA, C, D

Low idle time indicates I/O contention.

Why this answer

VolumeIdleTime (A) is correct because it directly indicates when the EBS volume is not receiving I/O requests; a consistently low idle time suggests the volume is saturated and causing a disk I/O bottleneck. For SAP HANA on EC2, monitoring VolumeIdleTime helps identify if the EBS volume's IOPS or throughput limits are being reached, leading to performance degradation.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates often confuse network I/O (NetworkIn) or CPU utilization with disk I/O metrics, but the question specifically asks for metrics that identify disk I/O bottlenecks, which are only captured by EBS volume-level metrics like VolumeIdleTime, VolumeReadBytes, and VolumeWriteBytes.

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459

Multi-Selectmedium

A company is designing an SAP environment on AWS and needs to ensure high availability for SAP HANA. Which TWO AWS services or features are commonly used to achieve this? (Choose TWO.)

Select 2 answers

A.Amazon EFS with Multi-AZ mount targets

B.Amazon S3 cross-region replication

C.Amazon Route 53 with failover routing

D.SAP HANA system replication across Availability Zones

E.AWS Global Accelerator with endpoint weights

AnswersC, D

Route 53 can redirect traffic to the secondary HANA instance upon failure.

Why this answer

Amazon Route 53 with failover routing is correct because it allows DNS-based routing to redirect traffic to a secondary SAP HANA instance in another Availability Zone if the primary fails. This is a common pattern for achieving high availability for SAP HANA on AWS, as it works in conjunction with SAP HANA system replication to provide automatic failover at the DNS level.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates often confuse high availability with disaster recovery, leading them to select cross-region replication (option B) or Global Accelerator (option E) instead of recognizing that within a single region, SAP HANA system replication and Route 53 failover routing are the standard AWS services for high availability.

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460

MCQeasy

A company runs SAP Business Warehouse (BW) on AWS. The BW system uses a single HANA database instance on an r5.12xlarge EC2 instance with 4 EBS io1 volumes for data. The company has noticed that during peak data loads, the CPU utilization on the HANA instance reaches 90%. An SAP consultant recommends increasing the CPU capacity. The company wants to minimize costs and avoid over-provisioning. What is the most cost-effective solution to increase CPU capacity for the HANA instance?

A.Change the EC2 instance type to a larger size in the r5 family, such as r5.16xlarge, to add more vCPUs.

B.Increase the provisioned IOPS on the EBS volumes to improve I/O performance.

C.Deploy additional HANA worker nodes and configure a scale-out system.

D.Migrate the HANA instance to a compute-optimized instance family, such as c5.

AnswerA

Instance resizing is simple and cost-effective.

Why this answer

Option A is correct because the simplest and most cost-effective way to increase CPU capacity is to resize the EC2 instance to a larger instance type within the same family (e.g., r5.16xlarge or r5.24xlarge). This provides more vCPUs without needing to change the architecture. Option B is incorrect because increasing EBS volume IOPS does not add CPU capacity.

Option C is incorrect because launching additional HANA instances for scale-out is complex and more expensive. Option D is incorrect because using a different instance family (e.g., compute-optimized) may require reconfiguration and is not as straightforward as resizing within the same family.

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461

Multi-Selecthard

An SAP system on AWS is experiencing performance issues due to high I/O wait times on the database server. The database runs on an EC2 instance with EBS volumes. Which THREE actions can improve the I/O performance? (Choose THREE.)

Select 3 answers

A.Reduce the volume size to increase the burst duration

B.Use instance store SSDs for the database logs

C.Use an EBS-optimized EC2 instance

D.Increase the provisioned IOPS of the EBS volumes

E.Configure RAID 0 of multiple gp2 volumes

AnswersB, C, D

Instance store offers low latency for temporary data.

Why this answer

Option A, Option C, and Option D are correct. Using EBS-optimized instances ensures dedicated bandwidth. Increasing EBS IOPS provides more throughput.

Using instance store SSDs offers very low latency. Option B is wrong because RAID 0 of gp2 volumes still uses burst credits. Option E is wrong because reducing volume size decreases performance.

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462

MCQhard

An SAP HANA system on AWS is experiencing slow backup performance when using Backint to Amazon S3. The backup throughput is only 200 MB/s. The environment uses an m5.24xlarge instance with 25 Gbps network. What is the most likely cause and solution?

A.The network bandwidth is insufficient. Enable S3 Transfer Acceleration.

B.The EBS volumes are too slow. Use instance store volumes for temporary storage.

C.The S3 bucket is not using multipart upload. Enable multipart upload on the bucket.

D.The Backint agent is configured with too few parallel streams. Increase the number of streams in the Backint configuration.

AnswerD

More streams increase parallelism and throughput.

Why this answer

The most likely cause is that the Backint agent is configured with too few parallel streams. Backint for SAP HANA on AWS uses multiple concurrent streams to upload backup data to S3; if the stream count is too low, it cannot saturate the available network bandwidth, resulting in throughput far below the instance's 25 Gbps capacity. Increasing the number of parallel streams in the Backint configuration allows the backup to fully utilize the network and achieve higher throughput.

Exam trap

The trap here is that candidates may assume network bandwidth or storage I/O is the bottleneck, when in fact the Backint agent's parallel stream count is a common misconfiguration that limits throughput despite ample infrastructure resources.

How to eliminate wrong answers

Option A is wrong because the m5.24xlarge instance has 25 Gbps network bandwidth, which is more than sufficient for 200 MB/s (1.6 Gbps); S3 Transfer Acceleration would not help as the bottleneck is not network latency or bandwidth. Option B is wrong because EBS volumes are not directly involved in Backint backups to S3; Backint streams data directly from memory to S3, and instance store volumes are not used for temporary storage in this workflow. Option C is wrong because Backint inherently uses multipart upload for large backups; enabling multipart upload on the bucket is not a configurable setting and is already the default behavior for S3 objects over 5 GB.

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