AWS Solutions Architect Associate Practice Test

What procedure minimizes downtime when backing up a relational database on EC2 with EBS volumes?

1. Detach EBS volumes, start an EBS snapshot of volumes, then re-attach EBS volumes.

2. Stop the EC2 instance, then snapshot the EBS volumes.

3. Suspend disk I/O, create an image of the EC2 instance, and then resume disk I/O.

4. Suspend disk I/O, start EBS snapshot of volumes, and then resume disk I/O.

The correct answer is: Suspend disk I/O, start EBS snapshot of volumes, and then resume disk I/O.

Minimizing downtime while backing up a relational database hosted on EC2 with EBS volumes is crucial for maintaining availability. Using EBS snapshots is a common method to back up data without significant interruption to service. Starting EBS snapshots while suspending disk I/O ensures that any active write operations or changes to the database are paused temporarily, allowing the snapshot to capture a consistent state of the data. Once the snapshot process begins, the disk I/O can be resumed, and any operations that were paused can continue. This approach greatly reduces the risk of data inconsistency issues that could arise if the snapshot were to be taken while writes were still occurring. Notably, creating an EBS snapshot is designed to be a non-disruptive and incremental backup process once the initial snapshot is complete. Therefore, suspending disk I/O only for the duration of the snapshot ensures that the backup captures a stable point in time without leaving the system offline for an extended period. Other options may involve taking measures that could lead to longer downtime or did not address the need for consistency during the snapshot procedure as effectively. For instance, detaching EBS volumes or stopping the EC2 instance would result in longer periods of service downtime, which is not ideal for applications requiring high