- A
Increase the frequency of EBS snapshots to offload I/O.
Why wrong: Snapshots do not offload I/O; they add overhead.
- B
Change the EBS volume type from gp2 to gp3 with higher IOPS and throughput.
gp3 provides better performance and is cost-effective.
- C
Upgrade to a larger EC2 instance type with more CPU and memory.
Why wrong: Larger instance type does not directly improve disk I/O.
- D
Disable the HANA delta merge operation to reduce I/O load.
Why wrong: Delta merge helps maintain performance; disabling it increases fragmentation.
Question 1,262 of 1,733
SAP HANA EBS Volume Types: gp2 vs gp3 Performance
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 Basis administrator is troubleshooting a performance issue on an SAP HANA database running on an EC2 instance. The administrator notices that the 'hdbcons' command shows high 'wait time' for 'disk I/O' operations. The instance is an r5.4xlarge with 500 GB of gp2 EBS volumes for /hana/data and /hana/log. Which of the following is the MOST effective action to improve disk I/O performance?
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
✓
Change the EBS volume type from gp2 to gp3 with higher IOPS and throughput.
None of the provided options are fully correct. The most effective action to improve disk I/O performance for SAP HANA on AWS is to change the EBS volumes for /hana/data and /hana/log to io1 or io2 volumes, which are certified for SAP HANA production workloads and allow provisioning of higher IOPS and throughput. Option B (gp3) is not certified for SAP HANA production, and the other options do not directly address the I/O bottleneck.
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.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of EBS snapshots to offload I/O.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots do not offload I/O; they add overhead.
- ✓
Change the EBS volume type from gp2 to gp3 with higher IOPS and throughput.
Why this is correct
gp3 provides better performance and is cost-effective.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Upgrade to a larger EC2 instance type with more CPU and memory.
Why it's wrong here
Larger instance type does not directly improve disk I/O.
- ✗
Disable the HANA delta merge operation to reduce I/O load.
Why it's wrong here
Delta merge helps maintain performance; disabling it increases fragmentation.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume upgrading the EC2 instance type (Option C) will resolve I/O bottlenecks, but the PAS-C01 exam tests the understanding that EBS volume performance is independent of instance size (as long as the instance is EBS-optimized), and the correct fix is to change the volume type or provisioned performance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SAP HANA's savepoint and log write operations are particularly sensitive to I/O latency; 'hdbcons' wait times for disk I/O often indicate that the EBS volume's queue depth is saturated. gp3 volumes use a non-bursting architecture with separate IOPS and throughput settings, unlike gp2 which relies on burst credits (I/O credits) that deplete under sustained heavy write loads. In real-world scenarios, a gp2 volume on a 500 GB volume provides only 1,500 baseline IOPS, while SAP HANA typically requires 3,000–10,000 IOPS for /hana/log during peak transaction processing.
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.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PAS-C01 question test?
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: Change the EBS volume type from gp2 to gp3 with higher IOPS and throughput. — None of the provided options are fully correct. The most effective action to improve disk I/O performance for SAP HANA on AWS is to change the EBS volumes for /hana/data and /hana/log to io1 or io2 volumes, which are certified for SAP HANA production workloads and allow provisioning of higher IOPS and throughput. Option B (gp3) is not certified for SAP HANA production, and the other options do not directly address the I/O bottleneck.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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