Question 1hardmultiple choice
Full question →hardmultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A SysOps administrator uses AWS CloudFormation to deploy infrastructure. The admin has a template that creates an EC2 instance with a custom software stack. The software stack must be installed and configured using PowerShell scripts. The admin wants to minimize operational overhead by automating the creation of an AMI that includes the software stack, and the AMI should be rebuilt on a weekly basis to include the latest security patches. Which combination of AWS services should be used?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
Use EC2 Image Builder to define a component with the PowerShell scripts, create a recipe, and schedule a pipeline to run weekly.
EC2 Image Builder is purpose-built for creating golden AMIs with custom scripts. It handles the entire process, including patching, testing, and scheduling, with minimal operational overhead.
B
Distractor review
Use AWS Systems Manager Automation to run a PowerShell script on an existing EC2 instance, then manually create an AMI each week.
While Systems Manager Automation can execute scripts, it does not automate the AMI creation process on a schedule; manual steps increase overhead and risk.
C
Distractor review
Use AWS CodePipeline with CodeBuild to run the PowerShell scripts and create an AMI using the AWS CLI, triggered by a weekly CloudWatch Events schedule.
This approach works but requires building custom CI/CD logic for AMI creation. EC2 Image Builder provides a more integrated and simpler solution with built-in testing and distribution.
D
Distractor review
Use Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling with a lifecycle hook to run the PowerShell script on instance launch, and schedule a weekly instance refresh.
This does not create a reusable AMI; it installs software each time an instance launches, increasing launch times and not providing a pre-baked AMI for use in other environments.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Related practice questions
Related SOA-C02 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A company uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver content to a global audience. The origin is an Application Load Balancer in us-east-1. The SysOps administrator wants to reduce costs by minimizing the number of requests that reach the origin server. Which action should the administrator take?
Question 2
A company runs a batch processing application on Amazon EC2 that runs for 2 hours every night. The workload can tolerate interruptions. Which EC2 purchasing option provides the lowest cost for this use case?
Question 3
A SysOps administrator needs to monitor the CPU utilization of an Amazon RDS DB instance and receive an alarm when CPU utilization exceeds 80% for 5 consecutive minutes. Which AWS service should be used to create this alarm?
Question 4
A company runs a critical web application on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application uses session stickiness (sticky sessions) to maintain user sessions. The SysOps administrator notices that when instances are replaced during a scale-in or failure event, users lose their session data. The administrator needs to preserve session data across instance failures without losing stickiness benefits. What should the administrator do?
Question 5
A company runs a production web application on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The application experiences a predictable and steady workload 24/7. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize compute costs for this instance while ensuring it remains available during the expected workload. Which EC2 purchasing option should the administrator use?
Question 6
A company has a VPC with public and private subnets. The private subnets host application servers that need to make outbound HTTPS connections to the internet. The SysOps administrator must implement a solution that provides outbound internet connectivity while preventing inbound connections from the internet. Additionally, the solution must allow the company to control which domains the application servers can access. Which solution should the administrator implement?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use EC2 Image Builder to define a component with the PowerShell scripts, create a recipe, and schedule a pipeline to run weekly. — EC2 Image Builder is a managed service that automates the creation, testing, and deployment of custom AMIs. It can run PowerShell scripts (via components) to install software and apply configurations. The Image Builder pipeline can be scheduled to run weekly. Systems Manager Automation helps run scripts on instances but is not designed for creating AMIs automatically. CodePipeline and CodeBuild are CI/CD services but would require more manual setup for AMI creation compared to Image Builder's native pipeline functionality.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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