Pass the Amazon Web Services AWS Certified Associate SAA-C03 Questions and answers with CertsForce

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/waf/latest/developerguide/web-acl.html

A rate-based rule in AWS WAF allows the security team to configure thresholds that trigger rate-based rules, which enable AWS WAF to track the rate of requests for a specified time period and then block them automatically when the threshold is exceeded. This provides the ability to prevent HTTP flood attacks with minimal operational overhead.

Frequent feature testing -

- Multiple Elastic Beanstalk environments can be created easily for development, testing and production use cases.

- Traffic can be routed between environments for A/B testing and feature iteration using simple URL swapping techniques. No complex routing rules or infrastructure changes required.

To grant the necessary permissions to an AWS Lambda function to upload files to Amazon S3, a solutions architect should create an IAM execution role with the required permissions andattach the IAM role to the Lambda function. This approach follows the principle of least privilege and ensures that the Lambda function can only access the resources it needs to perform its specific task.

https://aws.amazon.com/ebs/features/ Amazon EBS provides a range of options that allow you to optimize storage performance and cost for your workload. These options are divided into two major categories: SSD-backed storage for transactional workloads, such as databases and boot volumes (performance depends primarily on IOPS), and HDD-backed storage for throughput intensive workloads, such as MapReduce and log processing (performance depends primarily on MB/s).

The most suitable design change for the company’s application is to request strongly consistent reads for the table. This change will ensure that the requests to the table return the latest data, reflecting the updates from all prior write operations.

Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service that provides fast and predictable performance with seamless scalability. DynamoDB supports two types of read consistency: eventually consistent reads and strongly consistent reads.By default, DynamoDB uses eventually consistent reads, unless users specify otherwise1.

Eventually consistent reads are reads that may not reflect the results of a recently completed write operation. The response might not include the changes because of the latency of propagating the data to all replicas. If users repeat their read request after a short time, the response should return the updated data.Eventually consistent reads are suitable for applications that do not require up-to-date data or can tolerate eventual consistency1.

Strongly consistent reads are reads that return a result that reflects all writes that received a successful response prior to the read. Users can request a strongly consistent read by setting the ConsistentRead parameter to true in their read operations, such as GetItem, Query, or Scan.Strongly consistent reads are suitable for applications that require up-to-date data or cannot tolerate eventual consistency1.

The other options are not correct because they do not address the issue of read consistency or are not relevant for the use case. Adding read replicas to the table is not correct because this option is not supported by DynamoDB. Read replicas are copies of a primary database instance that can serve read-only traffic and improve availability and performance.Read replicas are available for some relational database services, such as Amazon RDS or Amazon Aurora, but not for DynamoDB2. Using a global secondary index (GSI) is not correct because this option is not related to read consistency. A GSI is an index that has a partition key and an optional sort key that are different from those on the base table.A GSI allows users to query the data in different ways, with eventual consistency3. Requesting eventually consistent reads for the table is not correct because this option is already the default behavior of DynamoDB and does not solve the problem of requests not returning the latest data.

This answer is the most secure and recommended option for securing the root user of a new AWS account. The root user is the identity that has complete access to all AWS services and resources in the account. It is accessed by signing in with the email address and password that were used to create the account. To protect the root user credentials from unauthorized use, AWS advises the following best practices:

Create IAM users for daily administrative tasks. IAM users are identities that you create in your account that have specific permissions to access AWS resources. You can create individual IAM users for yourself and for others who need access to your account. You can also assign IAM users to IAM groups that have a set of policies that grant permissions to perform common tasks. By using IAM users instead of the root user, you can follow the principle of least privilege and reduce the risk of compromising your account.

Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) on the root user. MFA is a security feature that requires users to prove their identity by providing two pieces of information: their password and a code from a device that only they have access to. By enabling MFA on the root user, you can add an extra layer of protection to your account and prevent unauthorized access even if your password is compromised.

Limit the tasks you perform with the root user account. You should use the root user only for tasks that require root user credentials, such as changing your account settings, closing your account, or managing consolidated billing. For a complete list of tasks that require root user credentials, see Tasks that require root user credentials. For all other tasks, you should use IAM users or roles that have the appropriate permissions.

These two steps will meet the requirements with the fewest changes to the application because they will enable the company to replicate the data to the new S3 buckets and minimize latency for both video streaming and uploads. One-way replication from the us-east-2 S3 bucket to the other two S3 buckets will ensure that the data is synchronized across all three regions. The company can use S3 Cross-Region Replication (CRR) to automatically copy objects across buckets in different AWS Regions. CRR can help the company achieve lower latency and compliance requirements by keeping copies of their data in different regions. Creating an S3 Multi-Region Access Point and modifying the application to use its ARN will allow the company to access the data through a single global endpoint. An S3 Multi-Region Access Point is a globally unique name that can be used to access objects stored in S3 buckets across multiple regions. It automatically routes requests to the closest S3 bucket with the lowest latency. By using an S3 Multi-Region Access Point, the company can simplify the application architecture and improve the performance and reliability of the application.

AWS Systems Manager Session Manager is a service that enables you to securely connect to your EC2 instances without using SSH keys or bastion hosts. You can use Session Manager to access your instances through the AWS Management Console, the AWS CLI, or the AWS SDKs. Session Manager uses IAM policies and roles to control who can access which instances. By attaching the AmazonSSMManagedlnstanceCore IAM policy to an IAM role that is associated with the EC2 instances, you grant the Session Manager service the necessary permissions to perform actions on your instances. You also need to attachanother IAM policy to the developers’ IAM users or roles that allows them to start sessions to the instances. Session Manager uses the AWS Systems Manager Agent (SSM Agent) that is installed by default on Amazon Linux 2 and other supported Linux distributions. Session Manager also encrypts all session data between your client and your instances, and streams session logs to Amazon S3, Amazon CloudWatch Logs, or both for auditing purposes. This solution is the most cost-effective, as it does not require any additional resources or services, such as bastion hosts, VPN connections, or NAT gateways. It also simplifies the security and management of SSH access, as it eliminates the need for SSH keys, port opening, or firewall rules. References:

What is AWS Systems Manager?

Setting up Session Manager

Getting started with Session Manager

Controlling access to Session Manager

Logging Session Manager activity

A read replica is a copy of the primary database that supports read-only queries. By creating a read replica, you can offload the read workload from the primary database and improve its performance. The script can query the read replica without affecting the critical application that uses the primary database. This solution also has the least operational overhead, as you do not need to modify the script, export the data manually, or manage a cache cluster. References:

Working with PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB Read Replicas

Amazon RDS Performance Insights

This option is the most suitable way to improve the game’s metadata load times without migrating the database. Amazon ElastiCache for Redis is a fully managed, in-memory data store that provides sub-millisecond latency and high throughput for read-intensive workloads. You can use it as a caching layer in front of your RDS DB instance to store frequently accessed metadata and reduce the load on thedatabase. You can also take advantage of Redis features such as snapshots, replication, and data persistence to ensure data durability and availability. ElastiCache for Redis scales automatically to meet your demand and integrates with other AWS services such as CloudFormation, CloudWatch, and IAM.

Option A is not optimal because migrating the database to Amazon Aurora with Aurora Replicas would incur additional costs and complexity. Amazon Aurora is a relational database service that provides high performance, availability, and compatibility with MySQL and PostgreSQL. Aurora Replicas are read-only copies of the primary database that can be used for scaling read capacity and enhancing availability. However, migrating the database to Aurora would require modifying the application code, testing the compatibility, and performing the data migration. Moreover, Aurora Replicas may not provide sub-millisecond response times as ElastiCache for Redis does.

Option B is not optimal because migrating the database to Amazon DynamoDB with global tables would incur additional costs and complexity. Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database service that provides fast and flexible data access for any scale. Global tables are a feature of DynamoDB that enables you to replicate your data across multiple AWS Regions for high availability and performance. However, migrating the database to DynamoDB would require changing the data model, modifying the application code, and performing the data migration. Moreover, global tables may not be necessary for the game’s metadata, as they are mainly used for cross-region data access and disaster recovery.

Option D is not optimal because adding an Amazon ElastiCache for Memcached layer in front of the database would not provide the same capabilities as ElastiCache for Redis. Amazon ElastiCache for Memcached is another fully managed, in-memory data store that provides high performance and scalability for caching workloads. However, Memcached does not support snapshots, replication, or data persistence, which means that the cached data may be lost in case of a node failure or a cache eviction. Moreover, Memcached does not integrate with other AWS services as well as Redis does. Therefore, ElastiCache for Redis is a better choice for this scenario. References:

What Is Amazon ElastiCache for Redis?

What Is Amazon Aurora?

What Is Amazon DynamoDB?

What Is Amazon ElastiCache for Memcached?

The most suitable solution for the company’s requirements is to enable Default Host Configuration Management in Systems Manager to manage the EC2 instances. This solution will allow the company to patch the EC2 instances without disrupting the running applications and without manually creating or modifying IAM roles or users.

Default Host Configuration Management is a feature of AWS Systems Manager that enables Systems Manager to manage EC2 instances automatically as managed instances. A managed instance is an EC2 instance that is configured for use with Systems Manager. The benefits of managing instances with Systems Manager include the following:

Connect to EC2 instances securely using Session Manager.

Perform automated patch scans using Patch Manager.

View detailed information about instances using Systems Manager Inventory.

Track and manage instances using Fleet Manager.

Keep SSM Agent up to date automatically.

Default Host Configuration Management makes it possible to manage EC2 instances without having to manually create an IAM instance profile. Instead, Default Host Configuration Management creates and applies a default IAM role to ensure that Systems Manager has permissions to manage all instances in the Region and account where it is activated.If thepermissions provided are not sufficient for the use case, the default IAM role can be modified or replaced with a custom role1.

The other options are not correct because they either have more operational overhead or do not meet the requirements. Creating a new IAM role, attaching the AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore policy to the new IAM role, and attaching the new IAM role and the existing IAM role to the EC2 instances is not correct because this solution requires manual creation and management of IAM roles, which adds complexity and cost to the solution.The AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore policy is a managed policy that grants permissions for Systems Manager core functionality2. Creating an IAM user, attaching the AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore policy to the IAM user, and configuring Systems Manager to use the IAM user to manage the EC2 instances is not correct because this solution requires manual creation and management of IAM users, which adds complexity and cost to the solution.An IAM user is an identity within an AWS account that has specific permissions for a single person or application3. Removing the existing policies from the existing IAM role and adding the AmazonSSMManagedInstanceCore policy to the existing IAM role is not correct because this solution may disrupt the running applications that rely on the existing policies for accessing RDS databases.An IAM role is an identity within an AWS account that has specific permissions for a service or entity4.

AWS DataSync is a service that makes it easy to move large amounts of data online between on-premises storage and AWS storage services. AWS DataSync can transfer data at speeds up to 10 times faster than open-source tools by using a purpose-built network protocol and parallelizing data transfers. AWS DataSync also handles encryption, data integrity verification, and bandwidth optimization. To use AWS DataSync, users need to deploy a DataSync agent on their on-premises servers, which connects to the NFS servers and syncs the data to Amazon S3. Users can schedule periodic or one-time sync tasks and monitor the progress and status of the transfers.

The other options are not correct because they are either not cost-effective or not suitable for the use case. Setting up AWS Glue to copy the data from the on-premises servers to Amazon S3 is not cost-effective because AWS Glue is a serverless data integration service that is mainly used for extract, transform, and load (ETL) operations, not for simple data backup. Setting up an SFTP sync using AWS Transfer for SFTP to sync data from on premises to Amazon S3 is not cost-effective because AWS Transfer for SFTP is a fully managed service that provides secure file transfer using the SFTP protocol, which is more suitable for exchanging data with third parties than for backing up data. Setting up an AWS Direct Connect connection between the on-premises data center and a VPC, and copying the data to Amazon S3 is not cost-effective because AWS Direct Connect is a dedicated network connection between AWS and the on-premises location, which has high upfront costs and requires additional configuration.

This option is the most cost-effective and scalable way to process the files uploaded to S3. AWS CloudTrail is used to log API calls, not to trigger actions based on them. AWS AppSync is a service for building GraphQL APIs, not for processing files. Amazon Kinesis Data Streams is used to ingest and process streaming data, not to send data to S3. Amazon SNS is a pub/sub service that can be used to notify subscribers of events, not to process files. References:

Using AWS Lambda with Amazon S3

AWS CloudTrail FAQs

What Is AWS AppSync?

[What Is Amazon Kinesis Data Streams?]

[What Is Amazon Simple Notification Service?]

This combination of actions will provide high availability and minimum latency for global users by using AWS Global Accelerator and Application Load Balancers. AWS GlobalAccelerator is a networking service that helps you improve the availability, performance, and security of your internet-facing applications by using the AWS global network. It provides two global static public IPs that act as a fixed entry point to your application endpoints, such as Application Load Balancers, in multiple Regions1. Global Accelerator uses the AWS backbone network to route traffic to the optimal regional endpoint based on health, client location, and policies that you configure. It also offers TCP and UDP support, traffic encryption, and DDoS protection2. Application Load Balancers are external load balancers that distribute incoming application traffic across multiple targets, such as EC2 instances, in multiple Availability Zones. They support both HTTP and HTTPS (SSL/TLS) protocols, and offer advanced features such as content-based routing, health checks, and integration with other AWS services3. By creatingexternal Application Load Balancers in front of the application in each Region, you can ensure that the application can handle varying load patterns and scale on demand. By creating an AWS Global Accelerator accelerator to route traffic to the load balancers in each Region, you can leverage the performance, security, and availability of the AWS global network to deliver the best possible user experience.

The solution that will meet the requirements is to run the application on Amazon Elastic Container Service (Amazon ECS) as microservices with service auto scaling. This solution will allow the application to be flexible, scalable, and gradually improved, as well as minimize application downtime. By breaking down the monolithic application into microservices, the company can decouple the modules and update them independently, without affecting the whole application. By running the microservices on Amazon ECS, the company can leverage the benefits of containerization, such as portability, efficiency, and isolation. By enabling service auto scaling, the company can adjust the number of containers running for each microservice based on demand, ensuring optimal performance and cost. Amazon ECS also supports various deployment strategies, such as rolling update or blue/green deployment, that can reduce or eliminate downtime during updates.

The other solutions are not as effective as the first one because they either do not meet the requirements or introduce new challenges. Running the application on AWS Lambda as a single function with maximum provisioned concurrency will not meet the requirements, as it will not break down the monolith into microservices, nor will it reduce the complexity of maintenance. Lambda functions are also limited by execution time (15 minutes), memory size (10 GB), and concurrency quotas, which may not be sufficient for the report generation application. Running the application on Amazon EC2 Spot Instances as microservices with a Spot Fleet default allocation strategy will not meet the requirements, as it will introduce the risk of interruptions due to spot price fluctuations. Spot Instances are not guaranteed to be available or stable, and may be reclaimed by AWS at any time with a two-minute warning. This may cause report generation to fail or restart from scratch. Running the application on AWS Elastic Beanstalk as a single application environment with an all-at-once deployment strategy will not meet the requirements, as it will not break down the monolith into microservices, nor will it minimize application downtime. The all-at-once deployment strategy will deploy updates to all instances simultaneously, causing a brief outage for the application.

This solution meets the requirements because it requires the least amount of infrastructure management and guarantees exactly-once delivery for application messaging. AWS Lambda is a serverless compute service that lets you run code without provisioning or managing servers. You only pay for the compute time you consume.Lambda scales automatically with the size of your workload. Amazon SQS FIFO queues are designed to ensure that messages are processed exactly once, in the exact order that they are sent. FIFO queues have high availability and deliver messages in a strict first-in, first-out order. You can use Amazon SQS to decouple and scale microservices, distributed systems, and serverless applications. References: AWS Lambda, Amazon SQS FIFO queues

To design a resilient solution that can improve the recovery time for the system, a solutions architect should recommend creating an Amazon CloudWatch alarm to recover the EC2 instance in case of failure. This solution has the following benefits:

It allows the EC2 instance to be automatically recovered when a system status check failure occurs, such as loss of network connectivity, loss of system power, software issues on the physical host, or hardware issues on the physical host that impact network reachability1.

It preserves the instance ID, private IP addresses, Elastic IP addresses, and all instance metadata of the original instance. A recovered instance is identical to the original instance, except for any data that is in-memory, which is lost during the recovery process1.

It does not require any modification of the application code or the EC2 instance configuration. The solutions architect can create a CloudWatch alarm using the AWS Management Console, the AWS CLI, or the CloudWatch API2.

This solution meets the requirements most securely because it uses IAM roles and the STS AssumeRole API operation to authenticate and authorize the inventory application to access the DynamoDB tables in different accounts. IAM roles are more secure than IAM users or certificates because they do not require long-term credentials or passwords. Instead, IAM roles provide temporary security credentials that are automatically rotated and can be configured with a limited duration. The STS AssumeRole API operation enables you to request temporary credentials for a role that you are allowed to assume. By using this operation, you can delegate access to resources that are in different AWS accounts that you own or that are owned by third parties. The trust policy of the role defines which entities can assume the role, and the permissions policy of the role defines which actions can be performed on the resources. By using this solution, you can avoid hard-coding credentials or certificates in the inventory application, and you can also avoid storing them in Secrets Manager or ACM. You can also leverage the built-in security features of IAM and STS, such as MFA, access logging, and policy conditions.

To migrate the DNS hosting service to a more resilient managed DNS service on AWS, the company should use Amazon Route 53, which is a highly available and scalable cloud DNS web service. Route 53 can host public DNS records for the company’s domain name and provide reliable and secure DNS resolution. To rapidly migrate the DNS hosting service, thecompanyshould create a public hosted zone for the domain name in Route 53, which is a container for the domain’s DNS records. Then, the company should import the zone file containing the domain records hosted by the previous provider, which is a text file that defines the DNS records for the domain. This way, the company can quickly transfer the existing DNS records to Route 53 without manually creating them. After importing the zone file, the company should update the domain registrar to use the name servers that Route 53 assigns to the hosted zone. This will ensure that DNS queries for the domain name are routed to Route 53 and resolved by the imported records.

AWS DataSync is a data transfer service that simplifies, automates, and accelerates moving data between on-premises storage systems and AWS storage services over the internet or AWS Direct Connect1. AWS DataSync can transfer data to Amazon FSx for Windows File Server, which is a fully managed file system that is accessible over the industry-standard Server Message Block (SMB) protocol. Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is builton Windows Server, delivering a wide range of administrative features suchas user quotas, end-user file restore, and Microsoft Active Directory (AD) integration2. This solution meets the requirements of the question because:

It can migrate more than 100 TB of data to AWS within a reasonable time frame, as AWS DataSync is optimized for high-speed and efficient data transfer1.

It can preserve the intricate directory structure and the millions of small files stored in deep hierarchies of subfolders, as AWS DataSync can handle complex file structures and metadata, such as file names, permissions, and timestamps1.

It can avoid changing the applications to access the data after migration, as Amazon FSx for Windows FileServer supports the same SMB protocol and Windows Server features that the company’s on-premises file storage uses2.

It can reduce the operational overhead, as AWS DataSync and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server are fully managed services that handle the tasks of setting up, configuring, and maintaining the data transfer and the file system12.