SAA-C03 Exam Dumps - Amazon Web Services AWS Certified Associate Questions and Answers

CloudTrail log file validation ensures that the log files have not been altered or deleted after delivery, providing an immutable audit log. Using KMS-managed encryption keys for CloudTrail log files adds another layer of data security, and AWS Config can monitor compliance to ensure this security is always enforced.

Reference Extract:

"CloudTrail log file validation provides assurance about the integrity of CloudTrail logs. Using SSE-KMS encryption and monitoring with AWS Config helps secure and audit logs for compliance."

Source: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Official Study Guide, CloudTrail Security section.

Amazon EBS io2 Block Express volumes are designed to deliver sub-millisecond latency and up to 256,000 IOPS per volume, with durability and high availability. This makes io2 Block Express the recommended choice for workloads requiring very high and predictable IOPS, such as enterprise databases and high-transaction-rate applications.

Reference Extract:

"EBS io2 Block Express volumes deliver up to 256,000 IOPS and sub-millisecond latency, supporting high-performance, high-durability workloads."

Source: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Official Study Guide, EBS Performance section.

Big data workloads that need to process terabytes of data in memory requirememory-optimized instancesfor the core and task nodes to ensure sufficient memory for processing data efficiently.

Primary Node:Ageneral purpose instanceis suitable because it manages cluster operations, including coordination and monitoring, and does not process data directly.

Core and Task Nodes:These nodes handle data storage and processing.Memory-optimized instancesare ideal because they provide high memory-to-CPU ratios, which is critical for in-memory big data workloads.

Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

Option A:Storage optimized and compute optimized instances are not suitable for workloads that rely heavily on in-memory processing.

Option B:A memory-optimized primary node is unnecessary because the primary node does not process data.

Option D:General purpose instances for all nodes will not provide sufficient memory for processing terabytes of data in memory.

AWS Documentation References:

Amazon EMR Instance Types

Memory-Optimized Instances

Amazon S3 Intelligent-Tiering is designed for data with unknown or changing access patterns. It automatically moves data between frequent and infrequent access tiers based on usage. This tier offers immediate access to all objects, regardless of which tier they are stored in, while optimizing storage costs. S3 Intelligent-Tiering also provides the same high durability, availability, and security as other S3 storage classes and supports access from external resources using standard S3 APIs. Lifecycle policies and Glacier classes are more suitable for archival when infrequent access is predictable, but retrieval from Glacier classes is not immediate and incurs extra charges and delays.

Reference Extract from AWS Documentation / Study Guide:

"S3 Intelligent-Tiering is designed to optimize costs by automatically moving data between two access tiers when access patterns change. Data is always available and immediately accessible, making it ideal for unknown or unpredictable access patterns."

Source: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Official Study Guide, S3 Storage Classes section.

The most secure and least operationally intensive method is to configure cross-account access using resource-based policies on the S3 bucket. This allows trusted external AWS accounts (consulting agencies) to securely access the S3 data without the need to manage user credentials or build additional infrastructure.

Options A and B pose security risks. Option D increases operational complexity and violates least privilege by managing external users inside your AWS account.

The Requester Pays feature in Amazon S3 allows the bucket owner to configure the bucket so that the requester, rather than the bucket owner, pays for data transfer and request costs. This is ideal for sharing large datasets with the public or with other AWS accounts when you want to minimize your own data transfer expenses.

Reference Extract from AWS Documentation / Study Guide:

"Requester Pays buckets allow you to configure the bucket so that the requester instead of the bucket owner pays the cost of the request and the data download from the bucket."

Source: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Official Study Guide, S3 Cost Management section.

AWS Lambda supports functions up to 10 GB of memory and 15 minutes execution time. Each invocation here requires only 1 GB of memory and finishes in 30 seconds, making it an ideal fit for Lambda. Lambda is cost-effective for event-driven, short-duration workloads and requires no infrastructure management. AWS Glue and EMR are better suited for large-scale ETL or distributed processing, which is unnecessary and more costly for this workload.

AWS Documentation Extract:

“AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service that lets you run code without provisioning or managing servers. You pay only for the compute time you consume. Lambda supports up to 10 GB memory and 15 minutes per invocation.”

(Source: AWS Lambda documentation)

B, D: AWS Glue is intended for ETL on larger datasets or batch jobs, usually with higher operational overhead and cost.

C: EMR is for large-scale distributed processing and is not cost-effective for single, fast, memory-bound jobs.

Comprehensive and Detailed Step-by-Step Explanation:

The company needsautomatic monitoringandnotificationsforsecurity violationsin Amazon Redshift clusters.

Option A:❌

Create an Amazon EventBridge rule that uses the Redshift clusters as the source. Create an AWS Lambda function to evaluate the Redshift cluster security configuration. Configure the Lambda function to notify the company of any violations of the security policies. Add the Lambda function as a target of the EventBridge rule.

EventBridgecan trigger actionsbased on events.

However, itdoes not track changesin Redshift security configurations.

Why not?AWS Configis bettersuited forcompliance monitoring.

Amazon RDS for MySQL Reserved Instances provide significant savings over on-demand pricing when you plan to run the database for long periods. This is the most cost-effective option for non-production, long-running managed MySQL workloads.

Reference Extract:

"Reserved Instances provide a significant discount compared to On-Demand pricing and are recommended for steady-state workloads that run for an extended period."

Source: AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Official Study Guide, RDS Cost Optimization section.

A Network Load Balancer (NLB) supports IP address-based targets, which allows the use of both EC2 and on-premises endpoints. It also supports a static IP address or Elastic IP, which meets the requirement for a fixed IP address needed by some users.

NLB offers high performance, low latency, and minimal operational overhead. Application Load Balancer only supports instance or Lambda targets, not IP addresses outside the VPC. Route 53 Resolver is for DNS, and API Gateway is for HTTP-based APIs, not web applications.

A. EventBridge rule:Triggers an event whenever there is a change in CloudFront distribution, ensuring real-time monitoring.

B. ALB with WAF:Focuses on application-level security, not CloudFront logging.

C. Lambda + SNS:Provides notifications upon detection of changes in logging configuration.

D. GuardDuty:Monitors anomalies but does not specifically address CloudFront logging changes.

E. Private API + WAF:Irrelevant to CloudFront logging changes.

Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink (formerly Kinesis Data Analytics) is a fully managed, serverless service for real-time processing of streaming data. You can consume data from Kinesis Data Streams, perform anomaly detection, and then output the results to another Kinesis stream. This approach is loosely coupled, fully managed, and does not require modifying the application code.

AWS Documentation Extract:

“Amazon Managed Service for Apache Flink enables you to process streaming data in real time, integrating with Kinesis Data Streams as source and sink, and is fully managed and serverless.”

(Source: Apache Flink on AWS documentation)

B: S3/Redshift is not real-time and adds complexity.

C, D: EC2/ECS solutions are not serverless or fully managed.

Analysis:

The company's requirements are to migrate 5 PB of data from physical tapes to AWS within 6 months, preserve the data for 10 years, and ensure cost efficiency.AWS Storage Gateway Tape Gatewayis purpose-built for such use cases, as it seamlessly integrates with backup applications and provides virtual tape storage in Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive.

Why Option D is Correct:

Tape Gateway: Enables the migration of physical tapes to virtual tapes. Virtual tapes are stored in Amazon S3 and can later be archived in Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive for long-term storage.

Cost Efficiency: Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive is the lowest-cost storage class for long-term data preservation.

Operational Simplicity: Tape Gateway integrates with existing on-premises backup software, reducing the need for additional tools or manual processes.

Scalability: Can handle the migration of large datasets, such as 5 PB, within the required timeframe.

Why Other Options Are Not Ideal:

Option A:

AWS DataSync is not designed for reading data directly from physical tapes. Staging the data on local storage adds unnecessary complexity and cost.Not suitable.

Option B:

Using backup applications to write directly to S3 Glacier Deep Archive may not leverage AWS-native services optimally. Tape Gateway simplifies the workflow significantly.Less efficient.

Option C:

Snowball Edge is ideal for environments without high-bandwidth connectivity. However, the company already has a 10 Gbps Direct Connect, making Tape Gateway a better choice.Not cost-effective.

AWS References:

AWS Storage Gateway - Tape Gateway:AWS Documentation - Tape Gateway

Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive:AWS Documentation - Glacier Deep Archive

A. EC2 with EBS:Does not support SQL Server Always On availability groups effectively.

B. RDS Multi-AZ:Provides high availability but does not support SQL Server Always On availability groups.

C. EC2 with FSx for Windows:Best solution for SQL Server Always On as FSx provides shared storage compatible with SQL Server clustering.

D. EC2 with S3:S3 is not suitable for SQL Server storage.

A: Amazon Macie can scan S3 buckets for sensitive data and identify PII.

C: S3 Object Lock legal hold prevents object deletion until a review is complete, meeting compliance requirements.

E: EventBridge can trigger the Lambda function automatically when Macie detects sensitive data, creating an automated workflow.

AWS Documentation Extract:

"Amazon Macie automatically discovers, classifies, and protects sensitive data in AWS. You can use EventBridge to invoke a Lambda function for post-processing, such as applying Object Lock legal hold to flagged objects."

(Source: AWS Macie and S3 Object Lock documentation)

B, D: Moving to Glacier Deep Archive or applying retention in governance mode is not specific to deletion prevention pending review.

F: MFA Delete adds a security layer but does not automate object retention for flagged PII.

Amazon CloudWatch Container Insightsis designed for monitoring containerized environments like EKS. It provides native support for collecting and visualizing metrics and logs in a centralized location through CloudWatch dashboards, offering the most operationally efficient solution.

Option A:Using the CloudWatch agent provides basic metrics but lacks the specific insights required for containerized applications.

Option B:Kinesis Data Streams and Firehose add unnecessary complexity for this use case.

Option C:CloudTrail is for auditing API activity and is not designed for application metrics and log aggregation.

AWS Documentation References:

Amazon CloudWatch Container Insights

Using S3 gateway endpoints allows private and cost-free access to S3 without routing traffic through a NAT gateway. NAT gateway traffic incurs charges, especially when used across multiple Availability Zones.

By using an S3 gateway endpoint, EC2 instances in private subnets can access S3 directly without needing internet access, reducing both data transfer and NAT gateway costs.

Interface endpoints are more expensive and typically used for services like API Gateway or Systems Manager.

Incremental Exports: Exporting DynamoDB data directly to Amazon S3 provides an automated, serverless way to make data available for analytics without operational overhead.

Analytics-Friendly Storage: Amazon S3 supports long-term analytics workloads and can integrate with tools like Athena or QuickSight.

DynamoDB Export to S3 Documentation