Quick Answer
The answer is to enable cross-zone load balancing on the Network Load Balancer. This feature distributes incoming traffic evenly across all registered EC2 instances in every enabled Availability Zone, rather than confining traffic to instances within the same zone as the client. By doing so, cross-zone load balancing effectively pools the total capacity of all instances, allowing the NLB to absorb sudden traffic spikes without overwhelming any single zone’s resources, which directly resolves the connection timeouts. On the AWS Certified SysOps Administrator Associate SOA-C02 exam, this scenario tests your understanding that NLB cross-zone load balancing is disabled by default, unlike Application Load Balancers where it is on by default—a common trap. Remember, health checks (Option A) only remove unhealthy targets, they don’t add capacity; stickiness (Option C) is for session persistence, not load distribution; and deletion protection (Option D) prevents accidental removal. Memory tip: think “cross-zone = cross-capacity” to recall that enabling this spreads the load across all zones for maximum throughput.
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of networking and content delivery. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. 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's web application is hosted on EC2 instances behind a Network Load Balancer (NLB) with a static IP address. The application receives a sudden spike in traffic, and some clients report connection timeouts. Which NLB feature should the SysOps administrator configure to handle the increased load?
Enable sticky sessions.
Why wrong: Stickiness does not help with capacity.
Enable cross-zone load balancing.
Cross-zone load balancing allows distribution across AZs.
Enable deletion protection.
Why wrong: Deletion protection prevents accidental deletion.
Enable health checks to mark unhealthy instances.
Why wrong: Health checks are for monitoring, not capacity.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Enable cross-zone load balancing.
Option B is correct. NLB cross-zone load balancing distributes traffic across all registered instances in all AZs, improving capacity. Option A is wrong because health checks help identify unhealthy instances but do not increase capacity. Option C is wrong because stickiness is for session persistence. Option D is wrong because deletion protection prevents accidental deletion.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Enable sticky sessions.
Why it's wrong here
Stickiness does not help with capacity.
Enable cross-zone load balancing.
Why this is correct
Cross-zone load balancing allows distribution across AZs.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Enable deletion protection.
Why it's wrong here
Deletion protection prevents accidental deletion.
Enable health checks to mark unhealthy instances.
Why it's wrong here
Health checks are for monitoring, not capacity.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A healthcare organisation deploys an application with a public-facing web tier and a private database tier. The database subnet has no public IP and only accepts connections from the web tier's security group. Questions like this test whether you can design cloud network isolation using VNets/VPCs, subnets, and security group rules.
What to study next
Identify which SOA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Networking and Content Delivery — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Networking and Content Delivery — This question tests Networking and Content Delivery — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Enable cross-zone load balancing. — Option B is correct. NLB cross-zone load balancing distributes traffic across all registered instances in all AZs, improving capacity. Option A is wrong because health checks help identify unhealthy instances but do not increase capacity. Option C is wrong because stickiness is for session persistence. Option D is wrong because deletion protection prevents accidental deletion.
Identify which SOA-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 20, 2026
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.
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