Quick Answer
The answer is to place both the SAP application and database servers in a placement group within the same Availability Zone. This is correct because a cluster placement group provides low-latency, high-bandwidth network connectivity by ensuring instances are physically close together, directly reducing the network hop time between the application and database layers. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of how placement groups mitigate network latency for tightly coupled workloads like SAP, where even milliseconds matter. A common trap is assuming larger instance sizes or VPNs solve latency, but they do not address the physical network distance. Remember the mnemonic: "Same group, same zone, low latency alone."
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of technology. 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 on AWS is experiencing high latency between the application server and the database server. Both are in the same VPC but different subnets. What is the most effective way to reduce latency?
Move the database to a different Availability Zone.
Why wrong: Different AZ increases latency.
Use a VPN connection between subnets.
Why wrong: VPN adds latency.
Increase the instance size of both servers.
Why wrong: Does not directly reduce network latency.
Place both instances in a placement group in the same Availability Zone.
Placement groups provide low-latency network.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Place both instances in a placement group in the same Availability Zone.
Option C is correct because placing both servers in the same placement group ensures low-latency network connectivity. Option A is wrong because increasing instance size may improve performance but not necessarily reduce latency. Option B is wrong because using a VPN adds overhead. Option D is wrong because moving to different AZs typically increases latency.
Key principle: Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Move the database to a different Availability Zone.
Why it's wrong here
Different AZ increases latency.
Use a VPN connection between subnets.
Why it's wrong here
VPN adds latency.
Increase the instance size of both servers.
Why it's wrong here
Does not directly reduce network latency.
Place both instances in a placement group in the same Availability Zone.
Why this is correct
Placement groups provide low-latency network.
Related concept
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
Common exam traps
Subnetting questions often tempt you into counting all addresses. In normal IPv4 subnets, the network and broadcast addresses are not usable host addresses.
Detailed technical explanation
Subnetting questions test whether you can identify the network, broadcast address, usable range, mask and correct subnet. Slow down enough to calculate the block size correctly.
Key takeaway
Count usable hosts — not total addresses — and remember that the network and broadcast addresses are not available to hosts in standard IPv4 subnets.
Real-world example
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
What to study next
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PAS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
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FAQ
Technology — This question tests Technology — CIDR notation defines the prefix length..
The correct answer is: Place both instances in a placement group in the same Availability Zone. — Option C is correct because placing both servers in the same placement group ensures low-latency network connectivity. Option A is wrong because increasing instance size may improve performance but not necessarily reduce latency. Option B is wrong because using a VPN adds overhead. Option D is wrong because moving to different AZs typically increases latency.
Review block sizes, usable host formulas (2^n − 2), and how to find network and broadcast addresses for /24 through /30. Then practise related PAS-C01 subnetting questions on CIDR, address ranges, and subnet selection.
CIDR notation defines the prefix length.
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Same concept, more angles
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company runs a critical SAP application on AWS. The SAP team needs to reduce network latency between application servers and the database. Which AWS service should be used to achieve this?
easyWhy D: Option B is correct because placement groups, specifically cluster placement groups, provide low-latency network performance by placing instances in a single Availability Zone with high-bandwidth, low-latency connections. Option A is incorrect because VPC Peering connects networks but doesn't guarantee low latency between instances. Option C is incorrect because AWS Global Accelerator improves global traffic routing but not within a region. Option D is incorrect because Route 53 is a DNS service.
Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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