- A
The EFS file system does not provide sufficient IOPS for HANA workloads.
Why wrong: EFS can scale IOPS; the issue is not IOPS but latency due to cross-AZ access.
- B
The EFS Elastic Throughput mode is throttling the HANA database traffic.
Why wrong: Elastic Throughput mode is designed to handle bursts and should not throttle unless extremely high usage exceeds limits.
- C
The EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance, causing high latency and potential timeouts.
Accessing EFS across Availability Zones increases latency, which can cause HANA to become unresponsive.
- D
The EFS file system has reached its maximum number of concurrent connections.
Why wrong: EFS supports thousands of concurrent connections; this is unlikely to be the cause.
PAS-C01 EFS Availability Zone Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of operations and maintenance. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. A key principle to apply: eFS Availability Zone. 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.
A company runs SAP HANA on AWS using a clustered environment with two EC2 instances in an active/passive configuration. The cluster uses a shared EFS file system for the SAP HANA shared volume. The operations team recently migrated the EFS file system from the previous generation to Elastic Throughput mode to improve performance. After the migration, the HANA database becomes unresponsive intermittently. The team notices that the EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance. What is the most likely cause of the unresponsiveness?
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 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
The EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance, causing high latency and potential timeouts.
The most likely cause of unresponsiveness is that the EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance. Cross-AZ access to EFS introduces higher latency and potential network timeouts, which can cause HANA database interruptions. Option A is incorrect: EFS provides adequate throughput for HANA shared volumes; IOPS is not the issue. Option B is incorrect: Elastic Throughput mode automatically scales throughput based on workload activity, so it would not throttle unless the workload exceeds burst credit balance, but that is not indicated. Option D is incorrect: EFS does not have a hard limit on concurrent connections from two EC2 instances.
Key principle: EFS Availability Zone
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 EFS file system does not provide sufficient IOPS for HANA workloads.
Why it's wrong here
EFS can scale IOPS; the issue is not IOPS but latency due to cross-AZ access.
- ✗
The EFS Elastic Throughput mode is throttling the HANA database traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Elastic Throughput mode is designed to handle bursts and should not throttle unless extremely high usage exceeds limits.
- ✓
The EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance, causing high latency and potential timeouts.
Why this is correct
Accessing EFS across Availability Zones increases latency, which can cause HANA to become unresponsive.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "most likely" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
EFS Availability Zone
- ✗
The EFS file system has reached its maximum number of concurrent connections.
Why it's wrong here
EFS supports thousands of concurrent connections; this is unlikely to be the cause.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- EFS Availability Zone
- Cross-AZ latency
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
EFS Availability Zone
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review eFS Availability Zone, then practise related PAS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
Operations and Maintenance — This question tests Operations and Maintenance — EFS Availability Zone.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: The EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance, causing high latency and potential timeouts. — The most likely cause of unresponsiveness is that the EFS mount target is in a different Availability Zone than the active HANA instance. Cross-AZ access to EFS introduces higher latency and potential network timeouts, which can cause HANA database interruptions. Option A is incorrect: EFS provides adequate throughput for HANA shared volumes; IOPS is not the issue. Option B is incorrect: Elastic Throughput mode automatically scales throughput based on workload activity, so it would not throttle unless the workload exceeds burst credit balance, but that is not indicated. Option D is incorrect: EFS does not have a hard limit on concurrent connections from two EC2 instances.
What should I do if I get this PAS-C01 question wrong?
Review eFS Availability Zone, then practise related PAS-C01 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
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?
EFS Availability Zone
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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