- A
Create a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 and promote it during a disaster.
Why wrong: Cross-region replication is asynchronous and may exceed 5 seconds RPO.
- B
Take daily automated snapshots and copy them to another region.
Why wrong: Snapshots have RPO of up to 24 hours.
- C
Enable Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover.
Multi-AZ provides synchronous replication and fast failover.
- D
Deploy the database in a single AZ and use point-in-time recovery.
Why wrong: PITR relies on backups, RTO is long.
Question 849 of 1,546
Multi-AZ RDS Deployment: Synchronous Replication for Near-Zero Data Loss and Fast Failover
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of reliability and business continuity. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 SysOps administrator is tasked with designing a disaster recovery strategy for an Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL database. The database is currently in us-east-1. The recovery point objective (RPO) is 5 seconds, and the recovery time objective (RTO) is 1 minute. Which solution meets these requirements?
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
✓
Enable Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover.
Multi-AZ deployment for Amazon RDS provides synchronous replication to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, with automatic failover typically completing within 1-2 minutes. This meets the RTO of 1 minute and, because replication is synchronous, the RPO is effectively zero seconds (no data loss), which satisfies the 5-second RPO requirement.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Create a cross-region read replica in us-west-2 and promote it during a disaster.
Why it's wrong here
Cross-region replication is asynchronous and may exceed 5 seconds RPO.
- ✗
Take daily automated snapshots and copy them to another region.
Why it's wrong here
Snapshots have RPO of up to 24 hours.
- ✓
Enable Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover.
Why this is correct
Multi-AZ provides synchronous replication and fast failover.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Deploy the database in a single AZ and use point-in-time recovery.
Why it's wrong here
PITR relies on backups, RTO is long.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse cross-region read replicas (asynchronous, higher RPO/RTO) with Multi-AZ (synchronous, low RPO/RTO), or they underestimate the time required to restore from snapshots or promote replicas, failing to meet the stringent 5-second RPO and 1-minute RTO.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Multi-AZ RDS uses synchronous block-level replication to a standby instance in a different AZ, ensuring zero data loss on failover. The failover process involves updating the DNS record (CNAME) to point to the standby, which typically completes within 60-120 seconds, meeting the RTO. Under the hood, RDS uses a virtual IP address that is remapped to the standby, and the database engine (PostgreSQL) does not require crash recovery because the standby is already in a consistent state.
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.
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
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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Reliability and Business Continuity — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
Reliability and Business Continuity — This question tests Reliability and Business Continuity — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Enable Multi-AZ deployment with automatic failover. — Multi-AZ deployment for Amazon RDS provides synchronous replication to a standby instance in a different Availability Zone, with automatic failover typically completing within 1-2 minutes. This meets the RTO of 1 minute and, because replication is synchronous, the RPO is effectively zero seconds (no data loss), which satisfies the 5-second RPO requirement.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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