SAP HANA Large Memory EC2 Instances for Migration
A company is migrating a large-scale SAP HANA workload to AWS. The system requires high memory and low latency. Which EC2 instance type is most suitable for this migration?
Quick Answer
The answer is the x1e.32xlarge. This instance is the correct choice because it is purpose-built for SAP HANA large memory EC2 instance migrations, offering up to 3,904 GiB of memory and high-speed NVMe SSD storage with low-latency networking, all certified by SAP for production HANA environments. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to match specific SAP HANA memory and performance requirements to the correct instance family, often appearing in scenario-based questions about large-scale migrations. A common trap is selecting the general-purpose x1 instance instead of the x1e, which provides higher memory density and better I/O performance for HANA. Remember the mnemonic: “x1e = extreme memory for enterprise HANA.”
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose the r5 family (memory-optimized) thinking it is sufficient for SAP HANA, but they overlook the specific memory capacity requirements and SAP certification needed for large-scale workloads, which only the x1e instance meets.
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
✓
x1e.32xlarge
The x1e.32xlarge is purpose-built for high-memory, SAP HANA workloads, offering up to 3,904 GiB of memory and high-speed NVMe SSD storage with low-latency networking. It is certified by SAP for running production HANA environments, making it the most suitable choice for this migration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
x1e.32xlarge
Why this is correct
x1e instances are memory-optimized and SAP HANA certified.
- ✗
m5.24xlarge
Why it's wrong here
m5 instances are general-purpose, not suitable for HANA.
- ✗
c5.18xlarge
Why it's wrong here
c5 instances are compute-optimized, not memory-optimized.
- ✗
r5.24xlarge
Why it's wrong here
r5 instances are memory-optimized but may not be certified for SAP HANA.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
Go deeper
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PAS-C01
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 is migrating an SAP HANA system from on-premises to AWS. The HANA system uses a large amount of memory (2 TB). Which EC2 instance type is most suitable for this workload?
hard- ✓ A.x2iedn.32xlarge
- B.c5n.18xlarge
- C.m5n.24xlarge
- D.r5.24xlarge
Why A: (x2iedn.32xlarge) is correct because it is a memory-optimized instance with up to 4 TB of memory, making it suitable for SAP HANA workloads requiring 2 TB of memory. Option B (c5n.18xlarge) is wrong because c5n instances are compute-optimized and have less memory. Option C (m5n.24xlarge) is wrong because m5n instances are general-purpose and cannot support 2 TB of memory. Option D (r5.24xlarge) is wrong because r5 instances have a maximum memory of 768 GB.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.