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Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation →hardMultiple ChoiceObjective-mapped

Quick Answer

The answer is to add a `procstat` section under `metrics_collected` in the CloudWatch agent configuration file, specifying `process_name = 'app.jar'`. This is correct because the CloudWatch agent’s `procstat` plugin is the only native AWS mechanism designed to capture per-process metrics like CPU and memory utilization on EC2 Linux instances, whereas standard EC2 metrics only provide aggregate instance-level data. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this tests your understanding of advanced CloudWatch agent configuration beyond basic system metrics; a common trap is confusing `procstat` with the `statsd` plugin or assuming you can use CloudWatch Logs filters for this purpose. Remember that `procstat` works by polling the `/proc` filesystem for the specified process name or PID, making it ideal for monitoring specific Java applications like `app.jar`. A helpful memory tip: think "procstat = process stats" — the name directly tells you it’s for per-process monitoring, not aggregate.

SOA-C02 Practice Question: CloudWatch agent configuration for collecting…

This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of monitoring, logging, and remediation. Examine the command output carefully: the correct answer depends on what the output actually shows, not on general recall alone. A key principle to apply: cloudWatch agent configuration. 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.

The monitoring team needs to collect per-process CPU and memory utilization for a specific Java process (named 'app.jar') running on EC2 Linux instances. Standard EC2 metrics show aggregate CPU but not per-process details. Which CloudWatch agent configuration section enables this?

Question 1hardmultiple choice
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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

✓

Add a procstat section under metrics_collected in the CloudWatch agent config, specifying process_name = 'app.jar' to collect per-process CPU and memory

The CloudWatch agent's `procstat` plugin is specifically designed to collect per-process metrics such as CPU and memory utilization. By adding a `procstat` section under `metrics_collected` in the agent configuration file and specifying the process name (e.g., `process_name = 'app.jar'`), the agent will gather the required per-process metrics and send them to CloudWatch. This is the only native method within the CloudWatch ecosystem to achieve per-process monitoring on EC2 Linux instances.

Key principle: CloudWatch agent configuration

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

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

  • ✓

    Add a procstat section under metrics_collected in the CloudWatch agent config, specifying process_name = 'app.jar' to collect per-process CPU and memory

    Why this is correct

    The procstat plugin uses the Linux /proc filesystem to sample per-process resource usage. With process_name set to 'app.jar', the agent matches the running JVM process and publishes metrics like procstat_cpu_usage and procstat_memory_rss to CloudWatch every collection interval. These metrics carry instance ID and process name dimensions.

    Related concept

    CloudWatch agent configuration

  • ✗

    Enable enhanced monitoring on the EC2 instance and select 'per-process metrics' from the console

    Why it's wrong here

    There is no per-process metrics option in the EC2 enhanced monitoring console. Enhanced monitoring for EC2 refers to the 1-minute detailed monitoring frequency, which affects only the standard EC2 metrics. Per-process collection requires the CloudWatch agent's procstat plugin.

  • ✗

    Configure a CloudWatch Logs metric filter on the Java GC log output to derive CPU and memory figures

    Why it's wrong here

    GC logs record garbage collection events, heap sizes before/after GC, and pause times. They do not contain CPU percent or RSS memory values directly. A metric filter can only count pattern occurrences or extract numeric values from log lines — it cannot generate accurate process-level CPU or memory utilization metrics.

  • ✗

    Use the aws ec2 describe-instance-status API on a schedule to pull process metrics from the instance's system status checks

    Why it's wrong here

    EC2 system status checks verify hypervisor-level health (network reachability, power). They have no visibility into running processes or per-process resource usage inside the guest OS.

Common exam traps

Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword

The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'enhanced monitoring' (a hypervisor-level feature) with OS-level per-process monitoring, or incorrectly assume that CloudWatch Logs metric filters can derive CPU/memory metrics from application logs, when in fact only the CloudWatch agent's `procstat` plugin can collect actual OS-level per-process resource utilization.

Detailed technical explanation

How to think about this question

The `procstat` plugin in the CloudWatch agent works by reading the `/proc` filesystem on Linux (specifically `/proc/[pid]/stat` and `/proc/[pid]/status`) to extract CPU and memory usage per process. It supports matching by process name, PID file, or exact command line, and can collect metrics like `procstat_cpu_total`, `procstat_memory_rss`, and `procstat_memory_virtual`. A subtle behavior is that if multiple processes share the same name (e.g., multiple Java instances), the plugin aggregates their metrics by default unless you use `pid_file` or `exact_match` to isolate a specific instance.

KKey Concepts to Remember

  • CloudWatch agent configuration
  • procstat plugin
  • process-level metrics
  • cwagent-config.json

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

CloudWatch agent configuration

Real-world example

How this comes up in practice

A cloud solutions architect for a retail company is evaluating services for a new workload. The correct answer here reflects best practice for the specific scenario described — not a general cloud recommendation. CloudWatch agent configuration Cloud exam questions reward reading the constraint carefully: the same technology can be right or wrong depending on the use case.

What to study next

Got this wrong? Here's your next step.

Review cloudWatch agent configuration, 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?

Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — This question tests Monitoring, Logging, and Remediation — CloudWatch agent configuration.

What is the correct answer to this question?

The correct answer is: Add a procstat section under metrics_collected in the CloudWatch agent config, specifying process_name = 'app.jar' to collect per-process CPU and memory — The CloudWatch agent's `procstat` plugin is specifically designed to collect per-process metrics such as CPU and memory utilization. By adding a `procstat` section under `metrics_collected` in the agent configuration file and specifying the process name (e.g., `process_name = 'app.jar'`), the agent will gather the required per-process metrics and send them to CloudWatch. This is the only native method within the CloudWatch ecosystem to achieve per-process monitoring on EC2 Linux instances.

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

Review cloudWatch agent configuration, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.

What is the key concept behind this question?

CloudWatch agent configuration

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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.