The answer is to use multiple io2 EBS volumes with Block Express striped together using LVM. This configuration is correct because io2 Block Express volumes deliver up to 256,000 IOPS and 4,000 MB/s throughput per volume, and striping them with LVM linearly scales those limits to meet the extreme demands of a 1.9 TB memory SAP HANA database, while EBS replication ensures data durability within an Availability Zone. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your understanding of SAP HANA storage performance requirements and the specific capabilities of io2 Block Express versus gp3, which cannot match the needed IOPS and throughput at scale. A common trap is choosing instance store volumes for their raw speed, but they lack persistence and durability. Memory tip: for HANA, think “io2 Block Express for IOPS and persistence” — the “2” reminds you of the dual need for high performance and durability.
PAS-C01 Design of SAP Workloads on AWS Practice Question
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. 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.
A company has an SAP HANA database running on an EC2 instance with 1.9 TB of memory. The database requires persistent storage. The solutions architect must choose a storage configuration that provides the highest IOPS and throughput while maintaining data durability. Which storage option should the architect choose?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use multiple io2 EBS volumes with Block Express striped together using LVM.
Option A is correct because it combines multiple io2 Block Express EBS volumes striped via LVM, which delivers the highest possible IOPS and throughput for SAP HANA on AWS. io2 Block Express volumes support up to 256,000 IOPS and 4,000 MB/s throughput per volume, and striping multiple volumes linearly scales these limits to meet the demands of a 1.9 TB memory HANA database. This configuration also ensures data durability through EBS replication within an Availability Zone, unlike instance store volumes.
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.
✓
Use multiple io2 EBS volumes with Block Express striped together using LVM.
Why this is correct
Striping multiple io2 Block Express volumes provides high IOPS and throughput with durability.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use a single io2 Block Express EBS volume of the required size.
Why it's wrong here
Single volume may not provide enough IOPS for 1.9 TB HANA; striping multiple volumes is recommended.
✗
Use multiple gp3 EBS volumes striped together with LVM.
Why it's wrong here
gp3 has lower max IOPS per volume than io2; for large HANA, io2 is preferred.
✗
Use NVMe instance store volumes for the HANA data and log areas.
Why it's wrong here
Instance store is ephemeral; data is lost on instance stop/termination.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume a single high-performance EBS volume (io2 Block Express) is sufficient, but they overlook that SAP HANA's performance requirements for a 1.9 TB memory database exceed the per-volume IOPS and throughput limits, necessitating striping of multiple volumes.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
SAP HANA relies on continuous savepoints and log writes to disk, requiring high sustained IOPS and low latency. io2 Block Express volumes use a Nitro-based architecture with EBS-optimized instances to deliver sub-millisecond latency and up to 256,000 IOPS per volume at 4 KiB block size. Striping multiple such volumes with LVM (e.g., using mdadm or LVM2) allows linear scaling of both IOPS and throughput, which is critical for HANA's multi-stream I/O patterns, especially during backup and recovery operations.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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: Use multiple io2 EBS volumes with Block Express striped together using LVM. — Option A is correct because it combines multiple io2 Block Express EBS volumes striped via LVM, which delivers the highest possible IOPS and throughput for SAP HANA on AWS. io2 Block Express volumes support up to 256,000 IOPS and 4,000 MB/s throughput per volume, and striping multiple volumes linearly scales these limits to meet the demands of a 1.9 TB memory HANA database. This configuration also ensures data durability through EBS replication within an Availability Zone, unlike instance store volumes.
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.
About these practice questions
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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 its SAP HANA database to AWS. The database requires high I/O and low latency. Which storage option should be used for the /hana/data volume?
medium
✓ A.io2 EBS volume
B.gp3 EBS volume
C.Amazon S3
D.Amazon EFS
Why A: The /hana/data volume for SAP HANA requires high I/O and low latency, which is best met by io2 EBS volumes. io2 volumes are provisioned IOPS SSD volumes designed for latency-sensitive transactional workloads, offering up to 64,000 IOPS per volume and 99.999% durability, making them ideal for SAP HANA data files.
Variation 2. A company is deploying a new SAP HANA database on AWS and needs to ensure the EBS volumes are optimized for throughput. Which EBS volume type should be used for the HANA data and log volumes?
medium
A.sc1
✓ B.io2 Block Express
C.gp3
D.st1
Why B: The correct answer is D because io2 Block Express volumes provide high throughput, low latency, and are certified for SAP HANA. Option A is incorrect because gp3 is a general-purpose SSD with lower performance. Option B is incorrect because st1 is throughput-optimized but not suitable for databases. Option C is incorrect because sc1 is cold HDD.
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Question Discussion
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