Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A SysOps administrator uses AWS CloudFormation to deploy a stack that includes an Amazon EC2 instance and a security group. The administrator wants to ensure that when the stack is updated, the security group is not accidentally replaced if its properties change. The administrator wants to receive a failure if an update would require replacement of the security group. Which CloudFormation feature should the administrator use?
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
Distractor review
Add a 'DeletionPolicy' attribute set to 'Retain' on the security group resource.
'DeletionPolicy' controls the behavior when a resource is removed from the stack or the stack is deleted. It does not protect against replacement during update operations.
B
Distractor review
Add a 'CreationPolicy' attribute to the security group resource.
'CreationPolicy' is used to wait for signals from resources like EC2 instances before marking them as created. It does not affect update behavior.
C
Best answer
Define a stack policy that denies replacement of the security group resource.
A stack policy can specify the allowed update actions per resource. By denying the 'Replace' action for the security group, CloudFormation will fail updates that would require recreating the security group, protecting it from accidental replacement.
D
Distractor review
Use an 'UpdatePolicy' attribute with 'AutoScalingReplacingUpdate' on the security group.
'UpdatePolicy' is used for Auto Scaling groups or for rolling updates on certain resources. It does not apply to security groups, and it does not prevent resource replacement.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: ACLs stop at the first match
ACLs are processed top to bottom. The first matching entry wins, and an implicit deny usually exists at the end.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
ACL questions test precision: source, destination, protocol, port and direction. A generally correct ACL can still fail if it is applied on the wrong interface or in the wrong direction.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Standard ACLs match source addresses.
- Extended ACLs can match source, destination, protocol and ports.
- The first matching ACL entry is used.
- There is usually an implicit deny at the end.
TExam Day Tips
- Check inbound versus outbound direction.
- Read the ACL from top to bottom.
- Look for a broader permit or deny above the intended line.
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?
Standard ACLs match source addresses.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Define a stack policy that denies replacement of the security group resource. — A stack policy is a JSON document that defines the update actions (replace, update, delete) that can be performed on specific resources. By setting 'Effect: Deny' for 'Replace' on the security group resource, CloudFormation will prevent any update that would cause replacement and fail the stack update instead. 'DeletionPolicy' controls what happens when a resource is deleted, not during updates. 'CreationPolicy' and 'UpdatePolicy' are for EC2 instances and Auto Scaling groups, not for general resource replacement control.
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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