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.
Which TWO configurations are required for a high-availability SAP HANA deployment on AWS using Pacemaker? (Choose two.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
STONITH fencing configured for the cluster nodes.
STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head) fencing is required in a Pacemaker cluster to ensure that a failed or unresponsive node is forcefully isolated before resources are failed over. Without STONITH, a split-brain scenario can occur where both nodes attempt to act as the primary, leading to data corruption. On AWS, STONITH is typically implemented using the AWS fence agent (fence_aws) which uses API calls to stop or reboot the instance.
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.
✗
Placement groups in separate Availability Zones for the cluster nodes.
Why it's wrong here
Nodes should be in different AZs but placement groups are not required.
✓
STONITH fencing configured for the cluster nodes.
Why this is correct
STONITH ensures node isolation during failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
EBS volumes with multi-attach enabled for shared storage.
Why it's wrong here
HANA HA uses replication, not shared storage.
✗
An AWS Classic Load Balancer to route traffic to the active node.
Why it's wrong here
A CLB is not typically used; virtual IP or route53 is used.
✓
SAP HANA system replication between primary and secondary instances.
Why this is correct
Replication is the foundation for HANA HA.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse high-availability prerequisites with optional components, and may think that a load balancer or shared storage is mandatory, when in fact Pacemaker with STONITH and SAP HANA system replication are the two core requirements for a fully automated failover solution on AWS.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Pacemaker relies on STONITH as a mandatory fencing mechanism to guarantee resource safety; without it, the cluster will refuse to start resources. The fence_aws agent uses the EC2 StopInstances or RebootInstances API, and requires IAM permissions for the instance profile to execute the action. SAP HANA system replication (option E) is the data replication layer that synchronously or asynchronously copies data from the primary to the secondary instance, and Pacemaker manages the virtual IP and replication status to orchestrate failover.
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: STONITH fencing configured for the cluster nodes. — STONITH (Shoot The Other Node In The Head) fencing is required in a Pacemaker cluster to ensure that a failed or unresponsive node is forcefully isolated before resources are failed over. Without STONITH, a split-brain scenario can occur where both nodes attempt to act as the primary, leading to data corruption. On AWS, STONITH is typically implemented using the AWS fence agent (fence_aws) which uses API calls to stop or reboot the instance.
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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Question Discussion
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