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SOA-C02 Practice Question: AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager for automated…
This SOA-C02 practice question tests your understanding of aws systems manager patch manager for automated…. 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?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Distractor review
Use AWS Config managed rules to detect unpatched instances and send SNS notifications for manual remediation
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.
B
Distractor review
Build a CodePipeline that runs weekly, creates new AMIs with the latest patches, and replaces all instances via an Auto Scaling instance refresh
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.
C
Best answer
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
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.
D
Distractor review
Create a cron job on each instance that runs 'yum update -y' every Sunday at 2 AM
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.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
Treat this as a scenario question. Identify the problem, the constraint, and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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
Related practice questions
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More questions from this exam
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Question 1
A company uses Amazon CloudFront to deliver content to a global audience. The origin is an Application Load Balancer in us-east-1. The SysOps administrator wants to reduce costs by minimizing the number of requests that reach the origin server. Which action should the administrator take?
Question 2
A company runs a batch processing application on Amazon EC2 that runs for 2 hours every night. The workload can tolerate interruptions. Which EC2 purchasing option provides the lowest cost for this use case?
Question 3
A SysOps administrator needs to monitor the CPU utilization of an Amazon RDS DB instance and receive an alarm when CPU utilization exceeds 80% for 5 consecutive minutes. Which AWS service should be used to create this alarm?
Question 4
A company runs a critical web application on Amazon EC2 instances in an Auto Scaling group behind an Application Load Balancer (ALB). The application uses session stickiness (sticky sessions) to maintain user sessions. The SysOps administrator notices that when instances are replaced during a scale-in or failure event, users lose their session data. The administrator needs to preserve session data across instance failures without losing stickiness benefits. What should the administrator do?
Question 5
A company runs a production web application on a single Amazon EC2 instance. The application experiences a predictable and steady workload 24/7. The SysOps administrator wants to minimize compute costs for this instance while ensuring it remains available during the expected workload. Which EC2 purchasing option should the administrator use?
Question 6
A company has a VPC with public and private subnets. The private subnets host application servers that need to make outbound HTTPS connections to the internet. The SysOps administrator must implement a solution that provides outbound internet connectivity while preventing inbound connections from the internet. Additionally, the solution must allow the company to control which domains the application servers can access. Which solution should the administrator implement?
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SOA-C02 question test?
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 — AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager automates OS patching at scale. A patch baseline defines which patches to approve (by severity, classification, or explicit list). A maintenance window schedules when patching runs. The Patch Manager Run Command task runs the AWS-RunPatchBaseline document against all target instances during the maintenance window. SSM Agent must be installed on instances (it is pre-installed on Amazon Linux and Windows AMIs). In multi-account setups, this is managed from AWS Organizations with delegated administration.
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.
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