- A
Modify the RDS instance to be Multi-AZ with a standby in another Availability Zone.
Provides high availability and failover, and can be done without downtime.
- B
Create a Multi-AZ deployment in the same Availability Zone.
Why wrong: Multi-AZ requires two AZs for high availability.
- C
Increase the allocated storage for the RDS instance.
Why wrong: May improve performance but does not add reliability.
- D
Create a read replica in another Availability Zone and redirect read traffic.
Why wrong: Read replica does not improve write performance or provide automatic failover.
Question 338 of 1,546
SOA-C02 Multi-AZ deployment Practice Question
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. A key principle to apply: multi-AZ deployment. 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 a critical database on an RDS for PostgreSQL instance in a single Availability Zone. The database experiences high write latency. The SysOps Administrator needs to improve the database's reliability and performance without downtime. 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
✓
Modify the RDS instance to be Multi-AZ with a standby in another Availability Zone.
Enabling Multi-AZ for an RDS for PostgreSQL instance provisions a standby replica in a different Availability Zone and synchronously replicates data to it. This eliminates the single point of failure, improving reliability. The modification is performed as a zero-downtime operation via a DNS update, meeting the requirement for no downtime. Note that Multi-AZ improves availability but does not reduce write latency; performance improvement may come from offloading backups and other administrative tasks to the standby.
Key principle: Multi-AZ deployment
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Modify the RDS instance to be Multi-AZ with a standby in another Availability Zone.
Why this is correct
Provides high availability and failover, and can be done without downtime.
Related concept
Multi-AZ deployment
- ✗
Create a Multi-AZ deployment in the same Availability Zone.
Why it's wrong here
Multi-AZ requires two AZs for high availability.
- ✗
Increase the allocated storage for the RDS instance.
Why it's wrong here
May improve performance but does not add reliability.
- ✗
Create a read replica in another Availability Zone and redirect read traffic.
Why it's wrong here
Read replica does not improve write performance or provide automatic failover.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse Multi-AZ (synchronous replication for high availability) with read replicas (asynchronous replication for read scaling), assuming a read replica can improve write performance or reliability when it only helps with read traffic.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Multi-AZ deployments use synchronous physical replication at the storage layer (not logical replication), ensuring zero data loss during failover. The standby is kept in a different AZ within the same region, and failover is automatic via a DNS CNAME change, typically completing within 1-2 minutes. Write latency can actually increase slightly due to the synchronous commit to the standby, but the trade-off is critical for durability and high availability.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Multi-AZ deployment
- Synchronous replication
- Zero-downtime modification
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
Multi-AZ deployment
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.
Visual reference
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review multi-AZ deployment, 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?
Reliability and Business Continuity — This question tests Reliability and Business Continuity — Multi-AZ deployment.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Modify the RDS instance to be Multi-AZ with a standby in another Availability Zone. — Enabling Multi-AZ for an RDS for PostgreSQL instance provisions a standby replica in a different Availability Zone and synchronously replicates data to it. This eliminates the single point of failure, improving reliability. The modification is performed as a zero-downtime operation via a DNS update, meeting the requirement for no downtime. Note that Multi-AZ improves availability but does not reduce write latency; performance improvement may come from offloading backups and other administrative tasks to the standby.
What should I do if I get this SOA-C02 question wrong?
Review multi-AZ deployment, then practise related SOA-C02 questions on the same topic to reinforce the concept.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Multi-AZ deployment
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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