SOA-C02 Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation Practice Question
A SysOps administrator needs to monitor the memory utilization of an EC2 instance running Windows Server. Which steps are required to collect memory metrics?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume memory metrics are automatically available or can be enabled via a simple console toggle, when in fact they require the CloudWatch agent to be installed and configured on the instance.
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
✓
Install and configure the Amazon CloudWatch agent on the instance.
Amazon CloudWatch does not collect memory metrics from EC2 instances by default; it only captures hypervisor-level metrics such as CPU, network, and disk I/O. To monitor in-guest memory utilization on a Windows Server instance, you must install and configure the Amazon CloudWatch agent, which sends custom metrics (e.g., Memory % Committed Bytes In Use) to CloudWatch. The agent uses the Windows Performance Monitor (PerfMon) counters to gather this data.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Install and configure the Amazon CloudWatch agent on the instance.
Why this is correct
Memory utilisation is not a default EC2 hypervisor metric; it must be collected from inside the guest OS. Installing and configuring the Amazon CloudWatch agent on the Windows Server instance publishes memory metrics to CloudWatch.
- ✗
Install the AWS Systems Manager Agent (SSM Agent) and use Run Command.
Why it's wrong here
The SSM Agent and Run Command execute scripts on the instance; they do not themselves publish memory counters to CloudWatch. Memory is a guest-level metric, so the CloudWatch agent must be installed and configured to collect it. Run Command is tempting because it can push that agent installation at scale.
- ✗
Enable detailed monitoring on the EC2 instance.
Why it's wrong here
Detailed monitoring only shortens the interval of existing hypervisor metrics to one minute; it cannot surface memory, which the hypervisor never observes. It is tempting because it sounds like deeper telemetry, but memory needs the CloudWatch agent installed on the Windows instance.
- ✗
Use the AWS Management Console to enable memory monitoring.
Why it's wrong here
The console has no toggle for memory metrics; CloudWatch's default EC2 namespace excludes memory because the hypervisor cannot see inside the guest OS. It is tempting as a single-click fix, but memory requires the CloudWatch agent on Windows Server, which reports it as a custom metric.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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