Scenario practice questions

A company is running SAP HANA on an r5.8xlarge instance. They want to scale up to meet increased memory requirements. Which instance family would be the MOST suitable for a scale-up scenario?

Trap 1: r5.24xlarge

r5 is smaller than x1e for scale-up.

Trap 2: i3.16xlarge

i3 is storage-optimized.

Trap 3: c5.18xlarge

c5 is compute-optimized, not memory-optimized.

A
x1e.32xlarge
x1e is designed for large SAP HANA scale-up.
B
r5.24xlarge
Why wrong: r5 is smaller than x1e for scale-up.
C
i3.16xlarge
Why wrong: i3 is storage-optimized.
D
c5.18xlarge
Why wrong: c5 is compute-optimized, not memory-optimized.

Question 2hardmulti select

A company is migrating a critical application to AWS using a phased approach. The application uses a custom Linux distribution that is not supported by AWS Application Migration Service. Which THREE steps should the company take to migrate the application? (Choose THREE)

Trap 1: Convert the application to run on Amazon Linux 2 to simplify future…

Converting to Amazon Linux would require significant rework and testing, not a simple migration step.

Trap 2: Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to migrate the application…

DMS is for databases, not for migrating entire servers or applications.

A
Use AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) to replicate the on-premises server to AWS.
SMS can replicate servers even if the OS is not officially supported by AWS MGN.
B
Convert the application to run on Amazon Linux 2 to simplify future management.
Why wrong: Converting to Amazon Linux would require significant rework and testing, not a simple migration step.
C
Perform a test migration to a non-production environment to validate the application.
Testing ensures the migrated application works correctly before cutting over production traffic.
D
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to migrate the application server.
Why wrong: DMS is for databases, not for migrating entire servers or applications.
E
Create a custom Amazon Machine Image (AMI) with the required Linux distribution and dependencies.
A custom AMI ensures the target environment matches the source OS.

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Question 3hardmultiple choice

An SAP workload on AWS uses an Auto Scaling group for the SAP Central Services (ASCS) and Enqueue Replication Server (ERS) instances. The instances are launched with a custom AMI that includes the SAP software. During a recent failover test, the ASCS instance failed to start after being terminated and re-launched by the Auto Scaling group. The error log indicates that the ASCS instance cannot find the quorum device. What is the most likely cause of this issue?

Trap 1: The instance type of the new ASCS instance is different from the…

Instance type change does not affect quorum device availability.

Trap 2: The ASCS instance does not have a public IP address, preventing…

Quorum communication can occur over private IP; public IP is not required.

Trap 3: The Security Group associated with the ASCS instance does not allow…

Quorum is typically based on shared storage or network connectivity, not a specific port.

A
The quorum device (EBS volume) was not re-attached or was not available in the same Availability Zone as the new ASCS instance.
In a multi-AZ setup, the quorum device must be accessible to the new instance; if it's an EBS volume, it is tied to a specific AZ.
B
The instance type of the new ASCS instance is different from the original, causing incompatibility with the SAP kernel.
Why wrong: Instance type change does not affect quorum device availability.
C
The ASCS instance does not have a public IP address, preventing communication with the quorum device.
Why wrong: Quorum communication can occur over private IP; public IP is not required.
D
The Security Group associated with the ASCS instance does not allow inbound traffic on the quorum port.
Why wrong: Quorum is typically based on shared storage or network connectivity, not a specific port.

Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

Question 4hardmulti select

A company is migrating a large on-premises NoSQL database to Amazon DynamoDB. The database has tables with uneven access patterns, and some items are accessed infrequently but must be retained for compliance. The company wants to optimize costs without sacrificing performance. Which THREE strategies should the solutions architect recommend? (Choose THREE.)

Trap 1: Disable auto scaling and set a fixed provisioned capacity to avoid…

Fixed capacity may lead to throttling or over-provisioning.

Trap 2: Increase the write capacity units to handle peak loads and reduce…

Increasing write capacity increases cost; it's not an optimization.

A
Use DynamoDB Standard-Infrequent Access (Standard-IA) table class for tables with infrequently accessed data.
Standard-IA offers lower storage costs for infrequent access.
B
Use DynamoDB Time to Live (TTL) to automatically delete expired compliance data.
TTL removes expired items automatically, reducing storage costs.
C
Use DynamoDB Accelerator (DAX) to cache frequently accessed items.
DAX reduces read capacity consumption for repeated reads.
D
Disable auto scaling and set a fixed provisioned capacity to avoid cost spikes.
Why wrong: Fixed capacity may lead to throttling or over-provisioning.
E
Increase the write capacity units to handle peak loads and reduce latency.
Why wrong: Increasing write capacity increases cost; it's not an optimization.

Question 5mediummulti select

Which TWO configurations are required for a high-availability SAP HANA deployment on AWS using Pacemaker? (Choose two.)

Trap 1: Placement groups in separate Availability Zones for the cluster…

Nodes should be in different AZs but placement groups are not required.

Trap 2: EBS volumes with multi-attach enabled for shared storage.

HANA HA uses replication, not shared storage.

Trap 3: An AWS Classic Load Balancer to route traffic to the active node.

A CLB is not typically used; virtual IP or route53 is used.

A
Placement groups in separate Availability Zones for the cluster nodes.
Why wrong: Nodes should be in different AZs but placement groups are not required.
B
STONITH fencing configured for the cluster nodes.
STONITH ensures node isolation during failover.
C
EBS volumes with multi-attach enabled for shared storage.
Why wrong: HANA HA uses replication, not shared storage.
D
An AWS Classic Load Balancer to route traffic to the active node.
Why wrong: A CLB is not typically used; virtual IP or route53 is used.
E
SAP HANA system replication between primary and secondary instances.
Replication is the foundation for HANA HA.

Question 6mediummultiple choice

A company is running SAP NetWeaver on AWS and wants to implement a high-availability solution for the SAP Central Services (ASCS). Which AWS service can be used to manage the virtual IP address for failover?

Trap 1: AWS Global Accelerator

Global Accelerator is for global traffic, not typically for ASCS.

Trap 2: Elastic Load Balancer (ELB)

ELB is for HTTP traffic, not for SAP ASCS.

Trap 3: Elastic IP address reassignment

Elastic IP can be moved but requires automation; Route 53 is more common.

A
Amazon Route 53 with failover routing
Route 53 failover routing can redirect clients to the secondary ASCS.
B
AWS Global Accelerator
Why wrong: Global Accelerator is for global traffic, not typically for ASCS.
C
Elastic Load Balancer (ELB)
Why wrong: ELB is for HTTP traffic, not for SAP ASCS.
D
Elastic IP address reassignment
Why wrong: Elastic IP can be moved but requires automation; Route 53 is more common.

Question 7mediummultiple choice

A company is migrating an SAP system to AWS and needs to ensure that the SAP license is compliant. The current license is based on the number of users. Which AWS pricing model is most appropriate for this scenario?

Trap 1: Spot Instances

Spot Instances are not recommended for production SAP workloads.

Trap 2: Reserved Instances

Reserved Instances may limit flexibility in instance type changes.

Trap 3: Dedicated Hosts

Dedicated Hosts are not required for user-based licensing.

A
Spot Instances
Why wrong: Spot Instances are not recommended for production SAP workloads.
B
Reserved Instances
Why wrong: Reserved Instances may limit flexibility in instance type changes.
C
Dedicated Hosts
Why wrong: Dedicated Hosts are not required for user-based licensing.
D
On-Demand instances
On-Demand allows scaling based on demand without affecting user-based licensing.

Question 8mediummulti select

A company is migrating an SAP HANA database to AWS. Which TWO configurations are required to ensure high availability for the SAP HANA database in a multi-AZ setup?

Trap 1: Use a single EBS volume with synchronous replication to both nodes.

EBS volumes cannot be attached to instances in different AZs simultaneously; HANA requires separate storage per node.

Trap 2: Configure EBS Multi-Attach to allow both HANA instances to share…

EBS Multi-Attach is limited to a single Availability Zone and does not support cross-AZ replication for HANA.

Trap 3: Place an Application Load Balancer in front of the HANA database…

Load balancers are used for application traffic, not for database replication or failover management.

A
Deploy SAP HANA System Replication across two Availability Zones.
SAP HANA System Replication replicates data between separate HANA instances in different AZs for high availability.
B
Use a single EBS volume with synchronous replication to both nodes.
Why wrong: EBS volumes cannot be attached to instances in different AZs simultaneously; HANA requires separate storage per node.
C
Configure EBS Multi-Attach to allow both HANA instances to share the same data volume.
Why wrong: EBS Multi-Attach is limited to a single Availability Zone and does not support cross-AZ replication for HANA.
D
Implement a cluster manager such as Pacemaker to orchestrate failover.
Pacemaker monitors the HANA instances and automates failover in case of a primary node failure.
E
Place an Application Load Balancer in front of the HANA database endpoints.
Why wrong: Load balancers are used for application traffic, not for database replication or failover management.

Question 9mediummulti select

A company is deploying SAP NetWeaver on AWS and needs to set up high availability for the SAP Central Services (ASCS) and Enqueue Replication Server (ERS). The company uses a shared file system for the transport directory. Which components are essential for the HA setup? (Choose TWO.)

Trap 1: Amazon S3 as the transport directory.

Transport directory should be on shared file system like EFS or FSx.

Trap 2: Both ASCS and ERS instances must run on the same EC2 instance.

They should be separate for HA.

Trap 3: Amazon RDS Multi-AZ for the SAP database.

This is for database, not for ASCS/ERS.

A
Amazon S3 as the transport directory.
Why wrong: Transport directory should be on shared file system like EFS or FSx.
B
An internal Application Load Balancer (ALB) to distribute traffic to the ASCS instance.
ALB provides a virtual IP for ASCS.
C
Both ASCS and ERS instances must run on the same EC2 instance.
Why wrong: They should be separate for HA.
D
Amazon RDS Multi-AZ for the SAP database.
Why wrong: This is for database, not for ASCS/ERS.
E
The ASCS and ERS instances must be located in different Availability Zones.
AZ failure requires instances in different AZs.