Question 1easymultiple choice
Full question →easymultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A SysOps administrator uses AWS CloudFormation to manage a stack that includes an Amazon EC2 instance. The administrator wants to update the instance type from t3.medium to t3.large without recreating the instance. The instance type change is supported as a simple update in CloudFormation. Which stack update method should the administrator use to apply this change with the least disruption?
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
Directly update the stack by modifying the template and submitting the update via the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or API.
Direct update applies changes immediately. Since the update is a simple attribute change that does not require replacement, this is the fastest and least disruptive method.
B
Distractor review
Create a change set to review the changes, then execute the change set.
While a change set can be used, it adds extra steps and does not provide any benefit over a direct update for a simple in-place change. It is not the least disruptive method.
C
Distractor review
Apply a stack policy to the EC2 instance to allow the update, then update the stack.
Stack policies are used to protect resources from unintentional updates, not to apply updates. The stack policy must be removed first, making this approach more complex.
D
Distractor review
Delete the existing stack and create a new stack with the updated instance type.
Deleting and recreating the stack would cause an outage and is unnecessary when a simple update can be applied in place.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Directly update the stack by modifying the template and submitting the update via the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or API. — CloudFormation supports three update methods: direct update (immediate), change set (preview then execute), and stack policy (to prevent updates). For a simple in-place update that does not require replacement, a direct update is the least disruptive and fastest method. A change set is used when you need to review the changes before execution. Stack policies are for preventing updates to critical resources. A new stack is unnecessary.
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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