EC2 Scaling & Auto-Scaling

Question 1: What is the primary purpose of Auto Scaling in AWS?

A) To automatically provision new EC2 instances when the existing ones are terminated.

B) To automatically adjust the size of an Auto Scaling group based on demand.

C) To automatically scale storage volumes attached to EC2 instances.

D) To automatically upgrade the instance types of existing EC2 instances.

Answer: B) To automatically adjust the size of an Auto Scaling group based on demand.

Question 2: Which of the following components define the minimum and maximum number of instances
in an Auto Scaling group?

A) Desired Capacity and Launch Configuration.

B) Minimum Size and Desired Capacity.

C) Minimum Size and Maximum Size.

D) Maximum Size and Desired Capacity.

Answer: C) Minimum Size and Maximum Size.

Question 3: In the context of Auto Scaling, what does "Desired Capacity" refer to?

A) The number of EC2 instances that are currently running and actively serving traffic.

B) The number of EC2 instances that the Auto Scaling group will attempt to maintain.

C) The number of EC2 instances that the Auto Scaling group will attempt to launch at once.

D) The total number of EC2 instances ever launched by the Auto Scaling group.

Answer: B) The number of EC2 instances that the Auto Scaling group will attempt to maintain.
Question 4: When should you use "scaling out" to meet increased demand?

A) When the CPU utilization of the instances is consistently low.

B) When the number of incoming requests decreases significantly.

C) When the existing instances are running at maximum capacity.

D) When you want to reduce costs during low-traffic periods.

Answer: C) When the existing instances are running at maximum capacity.

Question 5: Which of the following policies allows you to scale an Auto Scaling group based on a specific
metric such as CPU utilization or network traffic?

A) Step Scaling Policy.

B) Simple Scaling Policy.

C) Scheduled Scaling Policy.

D) Target Tracking Scaling Policy.

Answer: D) Target Tracking Scaling Policy.

Question 6: True or False: Auto Scaling can automatically distribute instances across multiple Availability
Zones for high availability.

Answer: True.

Question 7: Which service does NOT work with Auto Scaling?

A) Amazon EC2 instances.

B) Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) instances.

C) Amazon Elastic Load Balancer (ELB).

D) Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service).

Answer: D) Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service).

Question 8: Which of the following statements is true regarding the termination of instances by Auto
Scaling?

A) Auto Scaling always terminates the oldest instance first.

B) Auto Scaling randomly selects instances for termination.

C) Auto Scaling terminates instances with the highest CPU utilization first.

D) Auto Scaling never terminates instances; it only launches new ones.

Answer: B) Auto Scaling randomly selects instances for termination.

Question 1: Which of the following scaling policies allows you to add or remove instances in fixed
increments in response to an alarm breach?

A) Step Scaling Policy.

B) Simple Scaling Policy.

C) Target Tracking Scaling Policy.

D) Scheduled Scaling Policy.

Answer: A) Step Scaling Policy.

Explanation: In Step Scaling, you define scaling adjustments based on specific alarm breach points. When
an alarm is triggered, Auto Scaling adds or removes a fixed number of instances as defined in the scaling
policy.

Question 2: True or False: Auto Scaling can automatically scale EC2 instances based on a recurring
schedule, allowing you to anticipate predictable traffic patterns.
Answer: True.

Explanation: Auto Scaling supports Scheduled Scaling, where you can define a schedule to automatically
adjust the number of instances in your Auto Scaling group at specified times. This feature is useful for
handling anticipated traffic changes, such as increased demand during weekdays or special events.

Question 3: Which of the following metrics can be used to implement dynamic scaling policies in Auto
Scaling?

A) Number of instances launched.

B) Memory utilization of instances.

C) Disk space usage of instances.

D) Custom metric based on application-specific data.

Answer: D) Custom metric based on application-specific data.

Explanation: While metrics like CPU utilization, network traffic, and request count can be used for
dynamic scaling, the most powerful and flexible approach is to use custom metrics. These metrics can be
application-specific and provide more fine-grained control over Auto Scaling based on your unique
requirements.

Question 4: What is the purpose of an Auto Scaling cooldown period?

A) To pause scaling activities temporarily after a scaling event.

B) To ensure the instances are running in the most cost-efficient manner.

C) To delay the termination of instances during scale-in events.

D) To allow instances to warm up before they start serving traffic.

Answer: A) To pause scaling activities temporarily after a scaling event.

Explanation: The Auto Scaling cooldown period is used to prevent rapid scaling actions from occurring
one after the other. After a scaling event, the cooldown period gives time for the newly launched
instances to stabilize before additional scaling actions are taken. This prevents unnecessary fluctuations
and helps ensure a more stable environment.

Question 5: Which service can be used to automatically replace unhealthy instances in an Auto Scaling
group?

A) AWS Lambda.

B) Amazon CloudWatch.

C) AWS Elastic Beanstalk.

D) Instance Recovery.

Answer: D) Instance Recovery.

Explanation: Instance Recovery is an Auto Scaling feature that automatically replaces unhealthy
instances within an Auto Scaling group. It detects instances that have failed system status checks and
terminates them, allowing Auto Scaling to launch replacement instances to maintain the desired
capacity.

Question 6: True or False: Auto Scaling can automatically distribute instances across multiple Availability
Zones for high availability.

Answer: True.

Explanation: Yes, when you create an Auto Scaling group, you can specify the number of instances you
want to distribute across multiple Availability Zones. This provides high availability and fault tolerance by
ensuring that instances are spread across different data centers in different geographic locations.

Question 7: Which of the following options allows you to ensure that there is always a minimum number
of instances running in an Auto Scaling group, even during periods of low demand?

A) Desired Capacity.
B) Minimum Size.

C) Maximum Size.

D) Scheduled Scaling.

Answer: B) Minimum Size.

Explanation: The "Minimum Size" setting in an Auto Scaling group defines the minimum number of
instances that should always be running, even if the demand is low. Auto Scaling will not scale down
below this minimum value, ensuring that your application always has a baseline level of capacity.

Question 1: When you configure an Auto Scaling group, what is the purpose of setting the "Desired
Capacity"?

A) To specify the maximum number of instances that the group can scale up to.

B) To specify the minimum number of instances that the group should always maintain.

C) To specify the number of instances that the group will attempt to launch at once.

D) To specify the number of instances that are currently running and actively serving traffic.

Answer: B) To specify the minimum number of instances that the group should always maintain.

Explanation: The "Desired Capacity" in an Auto Scaling group refers to the number of instances that the
group will attempt to maintain at all times, even if the actual demand is lower. This ensures that there is
a baseline capacity of instances available to handle incoming traffic.

Question 2: Which of the following metrics can be used to trigger scaling actions in an Auto Scaling
group?

A) Memory utilization of instances.

B) Disk space usage of instances.

C) Network throughput of instances.

D) CPU utilization of instances.

Answer: D) CPU utilization of instances.

Explanation: CPU utilization is a common metric used to trigger scaling actions in an Auto Scaling group.
When the CPU utilization exceeds a specified threshold, Auto Scaling can launch additional instances to
handle increased demand. Similarly, if CPU utilization drops below a certain threshold, Auto Scaling can
terminate instances to save costs during low-traffic periods.

Question 3: What is the primary difference between Simple Scaling and Step Scaling policies in Auto
Scaling?

A) Simple Scaling is suitable for scaling based on a specific metric, while Step Scaling is more suitable for
dynamic scaling based on multiple steps or ranges.

B) Simple Scaling is automated, while Step Scaling requires manual intervention to add or remove
instances.

C) Simple Scaling is used for scaling in response to scheduled events, while Step Scaling is used for on-
demand scaling based on real-time metrics.

D) Simple Scaling is a legacy policy and has been replaced by Step Scaling in modern Auto Scaling groups.

Answer: A) Simple Scaling is suitable for scaling based on a specific metric, while Step Scaling is more
suitable for dynamic scaling based on multiple steps or ranges.

Explanation: Simple Scaling is used when you want to scale based on a specific metric, such as CPU
utilization or request count. On the other hand, Step Scaling allows you to define scaling adjustments
based on multiple steps or ranges of metric values, providing more flexibility for dynamic scaling.

Question 4: How does AWS Auto Scaling ensure high availability of EC2 instances across multiple
Availability Zones?

A) By automatically distributing instances evenly across all Availability Zones within a region.

B) By replicating instances to multiple regions for disaster recovery purposes.

C) By using AWS Elastic Load Balancing to distribute traffic across instances in different Availability Zones.

D) By automatically launching replacement instances in different Availability Zones in case of failure.

Answer: D) By automatically launching replacement instances in different Availability Zones in case of
failure.

Explanation: AWS Auto Scaling helps ensure high availability by automatically launching replacement
instances in different Availability Zones in case of failure. When an instance fails a health check or is
terminated, Auto Scaling automatically launches a new instance in a healthy Availability Zone to maintain
the desired capacity.

Question 5: True or False: Auto Scaling can scale EC2 instances based on a schedule, allowing you to
anticipate predictable traffic patterns.

Answer: True.

Explanation: Yes, Auto Scaling supports Scheduled Scaling, which allows you to define a schedule for
changing the capacity of your Auto Scaling group. This is useful for handling anticipated changes in
traffic, such as increased demand during weekdays or special events.

Question 6: Which of the following policies allows you to set a target value for a specific metric, and Auto
Scaling will automatically adjust the capacity to maintain that target value?

A) Simple Scaling Policy.

B) Step Scaling Policy.

C) Scheduled Scaling Policy.

D) Target Tracking Scaling Policy.

Answer: D) Target Tracking Scaling Policy.

Explanation: The Target Tracking Scaling Policy allows you to set a target value for a specific metric, such
as CPU utilization or request count. Auto Scaling will automatically adjust the capacity of the group to
maintain the target value, making it easy to keep the desired performance level.

Question 7: What is the purpose of an Auto Scaling cooldown period?

A) To pause scaling activities temporarily after a scaling event.

B) To delay the termination of instances during scale-in events.

C) To prevent scaling actions from occurring too frequently.

D) To allow instances to warm up before they start serving traffic.

Answer: C) To prevent scaling actions from occurring too frequently.

Explanation: The Auto Scaling cooldown period is used to prevent rapid scaling actions from occurring
one after the other. It enforces a wait time between scaling events, ensuring that Auto Scaling doesn't
make frequent adjustments, which could lead to unnecessary fluctuations.

uestion 1: Which of the following methods can be used to add instances to an Auto Scaling group?

A) Manually launching instances and attaching them to the Auto Scaling group.

B) Automatically launching instances based on a schedule.

C) Automatically launching instances in response to demand using scaling policies.

D) Manually launching instances and using AWS Lambda to add them to the Auto Scaling group.

Answer: C) Automatically launching instances in response to demand using scaling policies.

Explanation: Auto Scaling automatically launches instances based on demand using scaling policies.
These policies define the conditions that trigger the scaling of instances, ensuring that the number of
instances in the Auto Scaling group dynamically adjusts to match the demand.

Question 2: When using target tracking scaling policies, what metric is being tracked and adjusted to
maintain the desired target value?

A) The number of instances running in the Auto Scaling group.

B) The average CPU utilization across instances in the Auto Scaling group.

C) The total number of incoming requests to the instances.

D) The data transfer rate between instances and Amazon S3.

Answer: B) The average CPU utilization across instances in the Auto Scaling group.

Explanation: With target tracking scaling policies, the policy continuously tracks a specified metric, such
as average CPU utilization, and adjusts the number of instances to maintain the desired target value. For
example, if the target value is set to 70% CPU utilization, Auto Scaling will scale the group in or out to
achieve and maintain that target value.

Question 3: In which situation would you use step scaling policies over target tracking policies in Auto
Scaling?

A) When you have a predictable, steady increase in demand over time.

B) When you want to add or remove instances in fixed increments based on specific metric thresholds.

C) When you want Auto Scaling to automatically adjust the number of instances based on real-time
traffic patterns.

D) When you need to set a specific target value for a metric and have Auto Scaling maintain it.

Answer: B) When you want to add or remove instances in fixed increments based on specific metric
thresholds.

Explanation: Step scaling policies are used when you want to add or remove instances in fixed
increments based on specific metric thresholds. Each step in the policy defines how many instances to
add or remove when a specific metric threshold is breached. It allows more fine-grained control over
scaling compared to target tracking policies.

Question 4: Which Auto Scaling policy allows you to define a range of metric values and associate a
specific scaling action with each range?

A) Step Scaling Policy.

B) Target Tracking Scaling Policy.

C) Simple Scaling Policy.

D) Scheduled Scaling Policy.

Answer: A) Step Scaling Policy.

Explanation: In Step Scaling Policies, you can define different scaling actions for different ranges of metric
values. When the metric breaches a threshold, Auto Scaling takes the corresponding scaling action
defined for that range.

Question 5: How does Auto Scaling determine which Availability Zone to launch a new EC2 instance
when scaling up?

A) It launches the instance in the same Availability Zone as the instance with the highest CPU utilization.

B) It launches the instance in the Availability Zone with the fewest instances.

C) It randomly selects an Availability Zone from those enabled for the Auto Scaling group.

D) It launches the instance in the Availability Zone that is closest to the user requesting the scaling
action.

Answer: C) It randomly selects an Availability Zone from those enabled for the Auto Scaling group.

Explanation: Auto Scaling randomly selects an Availability Zone from those that are enabled for the Auto
Scaling group when launching new instances. This helps ensure an even distribution of instances across
different Availability Zones for high availability and fault tolerance.

Question 6: When using Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, what is the purpose of the "Cooldown" period?

A) To cool down the CPU of instances before terminating them.

B) To pause scaling activities after a scaling event to stabilize the environment.

C) To prevent the launch of new instances until a cooldown period has passed.

D) To delay the termination of instances during scale-in events.

Answer: B) To pause scaling activities after a scaling event to stabilize the environment.
Explanation: The "Cooldown" period in Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling is a time period during which any
additional scaling activities are suspended after a scaling event has occurred. It gives time for the newly
launched instances to stabilize before Auto Scaling considers additional scaling actions, preventing rapid
and unnecessary fluctuations.