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Question 877 of 1,546
Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation →easyMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The correct answer is to configure a Patch Manager patch baseline and maintenance window scheduled for Sunday 02:00 UTC, then associate the Run Patch Baseline task with all EC2 instance targets. This is the recommended AWS-native solution because Systems Manager Patch Manager automates OS patching on EC2 instances by using a patch baseline to define which updates are approved—such as critical security patches—while a Maintenance Window triggers the AWS-RunPatchBaseline SSM document at the precise scheduled time, ensuring consistent, auditable patching across multiple accounts without manual intervention. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of combining Patch Manager with Maintenance Windows for automated OS patching, often appearing as a multi-account or cross-Region challenge; a common trap is selecting a solution that uses AWS Config or Lambda instead of the native Patch Manager service. Remember the memory tip: “Patch on a Schedule, not a Struggle”—think of the Maintenance Window as your alarm clock and the patch baseline as your grocery list, ensuring only the critical items get applied at the right time.

SOA-C02 Practice Question: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager for automated…

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of deployment, provisioning, and automation. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. A key principle to apply: patch Manager. 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.

A company runs 200 EC2 Linux instances across three accounts. The security team requires that critical OS patches are applied automatically every Sunday at 2 AM UTC. Currently patches are applied manually and inconsistently. What is the recommended AWS-native solution?

Question 1easymultiple choice
Read the full NAT/PAT explanation →

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

✓

Configure a Patch Manager patch baseline and maintenance window scheduled for Sunday 02:00 UTC; associate the Run Patch Baseline task with all EC2 instance targets

Option A is correct because AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager, combined with a Maintenance Window, provides a fully AWS-native, automated solution for patching EC2 instances on a schedule. The Patch Manager service uses a patch baseline to define which patches are approved (e.g., critical OS patches), and the Maintenance Window triggers the 'AWS-RunPatchBaseline' SSM document at the specified time (Sunday 02:00 UTC) against all targeted instances. This eliminates manual effort and ensures consistent, auditable patching across multiple accounts and instances.

Key principle: Patch Manager

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

  • ✓

    Configure a Patch Manager patch baseline and maintenance window scheduled for Sunday 02:00 UTC; associate the Run Patch Baseline task with all EC2 instance targets

    Why this is correct

    The patch baseline filters patch approvals by severity (e.g., CRITICAL, IMPORTANT). The maintenance window triggers the AWS-RunPatchBaseline SSM document on schedule. All 200 instances receive the same baseline and schedule, replacing manual inconsistency with automated consistency. Patch compliance is recorded in the Patch Manager compliance dashboard.

    Related concept

    Patch Manager

  • ✗

    Create a cron job on each instance that runs 'yum update -y' every Sunday at 2 AM

    Why it's wrong here

    Per-instance cron jobs require configuring 200 instances and have no centralized reporting. If a cron job fails silently, there is no alert. Patch Manager provides centralized scheduling, status reporting, and compliance visibility across all instances from a single console.

  • ✗

    Use AWS Config managed rules to detect unpatched instances and send SNS notifications for manual remediation

    Why it's wrong here

    AWS Config with a patch compliance rule can detect non-compliant instances but only notifies — it does not apply patches automatically. Patch Manager with a maintenance window applies patches automatically, which is what the requirement specifies.

  • ✗

    Build a CodePipeline that runs weekly, creates new AMIs with the latest patches, and replaces all instances via an Auto Scaling instance refresh

    Why it's wrong here

    The immutable infrastructure approach (patch AMIs and refresh instances) is architecturally valid but operationally heavyweight — it requires building new AMIs for all instance types, running refreshes, and ensuring stateless instances. Patch Manager is the lighter-weight, AWS-native solution for patching running instances.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may choose Option D (AMI refresh) because it seems more 'complete' for patching, but they overlook that Patch Manager with Maintenance Windows is the simplest, most direct AWS-native solution for scheduled patching, and the question explicitly asks for the 'recommended' solution, not the most elaborate one.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

Patch Manager uses the SSM Agent on each instance to execute the 'AWS-RunPatchBaseline' document, which evaluates the instance against the configured patch baseline (e.g., 'DefaultPatchBaseline' for Linux) and applies approved patches. The Maintenance Window service ensures the patching occurs within a defined time window, handling concurrency and error thresholds, and integrates with AWS CloudTrail for full auditability. A common subtlety is that instances must have the SSM Agent installed and be registered in Systems Manager, and the patch baseline must be correctly scoped to the instance's operating system (e.g., Amazon Linux 2 uses 'yum' while Ubuntu uses 'apt').

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • Patch Manager
  • patch baseline
  • maintenance window
  • SSM managed instances

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

Patch Manager

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review patch Manager, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

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FAQ

Questions learners often ask

What does this SOA-C02 question test?

Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation — This question tests Deployment, Provisioning, and Automation — Patch Manager.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Configure a Patch Manager patch baseline and maintenance window scheduled for Sunday 02:00 UTC; associate the Run Patch Baseline task with all EC2 instance targets — Option A is correct because AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager, combined with a Maintenance Window, provides a fully AWS-native, automated solution for patching EC2 instances on a schedule. The Patch Manager service uses a patch baseline to define which patches are approved (e.g., critical OS patches), and the Maintenance Window triggers the 'AWS-RunPatchBaseline' SSM document at the specified time (Sunday 02:00 UTC) against all targeted instances. This eliminates manual effort and ensures consistent, auditable patching across multiple accounts and instances.

What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?

Review patch Manager, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

What is the key concept behind this question?

Patch Manager

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Last reviewed: Jun 11, 2026

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This SOA-C02 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SOA-C02 exam.