Snapshots and Backup

5 minutes 5 Questions

In Amazon ElastiCache, snapshots are point-in-time backups of cache clusters that are stored in Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3). Snapshots can be used for data recovery or to migrate data across regions or accounts, and they also provide a way to comply with data backup and archiving policies. You can create snapshots manually or schedule them automatically based on your requirements. Manual snapshots can be created on-demand and can be retained indefinitely, whereas automatic snapshots have defined retention periods. Snapshots can be restored to a new ElastiCache cluster or shared with other AWS accounts, providing additional flexibility in managing data backups and migrations.

AWS Solution Architect: Amazon ElastiCache - Snapshots and Backup

Introduction:
Amazon ElastiCache is a web service that makes it easy to set up, manage, and scale a distributed in-memory cache environment in the cloud. Snapshots and backups are crucial aspects of this service.

Why It's Important:
Snapshots and backups in Amazon ElastiCache are significant for data recovery and maintaining business continuity. They help prevent loss of data in case of system failures or disasters by providing a way to restore data.

What It Is:
Snapshot is a point-in-time copy of data. In ElastiCache, you can create a snapshot of your cache cluster for backup or migration purposes. Backup, on the other hand, refers to the process of creating such snapshots periodically.

How It Works:
For ElastiCache for Redis, you can manually create a snapshot or configure automatic snapshots as per your backup strategy. Amazon ElastiCache then creates an Amazon S3 bucket to store these snapshots.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Snapshots and Backup:
- Understand the difference between manual and automatic snapshots in ElastiCache.
- Know how to restore an ElastiCache cluster from a snapshot.
- Remember, you can only copy a snapshot to the same AWS region.
- Understand the cost and duration related to ElastiCache snapshots.
Always consider question's context and remember real-world application of concepts.

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Question 1

A company's AWS infrastructure is experiencing severe traffic spikes on random weekends, causing the website to become unresponsive. Their applications are running on EC2 instances backed by EBS volumes. Which solution improves the backup and recovery process?

Manually create new EC2 instances every weekend to help spread the load. Switch to instance store volumes for a faster backup process. Create snapshots of EBS volumes during low-traffic periods and store them on S3. Migrate the website to an on-premises server.

Correct Answer: Create snapshots of EBS volumes during low-traffic periods and store them on S3.

EBS snapshots provide a continuous backup and recovery solution. Creating snapshots during low-traffic periods ensures minimal impact on application performance. Instance store volumes do not support snapshots, while running additional EC2 instances doesn't solve the backup problem. On-premises servers and FTP storage are not suitable solutions for AWS architecture.

Question 2

An auditing company has a scalable deployment of multiple RDS instances. They require a backup solution that can span across regions to meet their compliance requirements. Which of the following solutions would meet the company's needs?

Configure Lambda functions to create manual RDS instance snapshots and copy them across regions. Migrate the RDS instances to EC2 instances and enable cross-region snapshot copy for EC2 EBS volumes. Create manual snapshots of the RDS instances and store them in an S3 bucket in different regions. Enable RDS cross-region copy for automated backups.

Correct Answer: Enable RDS cross-region copy for automated backups.

Enabling RDS cross-region copy for automated backups provides a reliable and cost-effective backup solution that meets the compliance requirements. Other options, such as manual snapshots, Lambda functions, migration to EC2, and multi-AZ deployments introduce additional management overhead and are less efficient.

Question 3

A company's RDS instance stores user data that requires daily backups. The CTO prefers automated backups instead of manual snapshots. How can a daily backup solution be implemented with minimal risks?

Configure cross-region replication for the RDS instance every day. Create an AWS Lambda function to generate manual RDS snapshots daily. Enable RDS automated backup and configure the backup window for an appropriate duration during low-traffic periods. Schedule an EBS volume snapshot script to run daily.

Correct Answer: Enable RDS automated backup and configure the backup window for an appropriate duration during low-traffic periods.

RDS automated backup simplifies daily backup operations for an RDS instance with minimal impact on performance. Configuring the backup window during low-traffic periods avoids resource contention. Manual snapshots (like Lambda functions), EBS snapshots, cross-region replication, multi-AZ, and EC2 migration do not provide the same level of efficiency and are more complex solutions.

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