Amazon RDS Automated Backups

5 minutes 5 Questions

Amazon RDS Automated Backups is a fully managed backup service that allows you to automatically create and store database backups. It enables point-in-time recovery, which allows you to restore your database to any second during your retention period, up to the last five minutes. With this feature,…

Guide to Amazon RDS Automated Backups

What is Amazon RDS Automated Backups?
Amazon RDS Automated Backups is a feature provided by AWS (Amazon Web Services) in its RDS (Relational Database Service) service. This feature automatically creates a backup of your database in Amazon RDS without requiring manual intervention.

Why is it important?
Amazon RDS Automated Backups are important as they ensure that your data is protected even in cases of accidental deletion or system failures. They allow businesses to maintain continuity and protect their critical data.

How does it work?
Automated backups are created during a defined backup window and include all information necessary to restore your database (data, schema, and so on). Each backup creates a storage volume snapshot of your entire DB instance. Automated backups are enabled by default when you create a DB instance, ensuring continuous backup of your data.

Exam Tips: Answering Questions on Amazon RDS Automated Backups
When answering questions on Amazon RDS Automated Backups for an exam, it’s important to emphasize the importance of data loss prevention and business continuity in the context of AWS. Be sure to mention that automated backups are enabled by default and include all necessary information for database restoration. Also, note that Amazon RDS retains automated backups for a retention period, which can be configured to meet a variety of needs. Be familiar with the process of restoration from these backups as well as limitations, costs, and considerations associated with the use of Amazon RDS Automated Backups.

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AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Amazon RDS Automated Backups Example Questions

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Question 1

An Amazon RDS instance has automated backups enabled with a retention period of 7 days, and there are no manual snapshots. Using only point-in-time restore from automated backups, which single action is supported?

Restore the instance to a specific point within the last 7 days Restore the instance to the latest possible data available Restore the instance to a specific point 1 year ago Restore the instance to a specific point 10 days ago

Correct Answer: Restore the instance to a specific point within the last 7 days

With Amazon RDS automated backups set to a 7-day retention, you can perform a point-in-time restore to any timestamp within the last 7 days, up to the latest restorable time (typically a few minutes before now). Any time older than the retention window (such as 8 or 10 days ago, or 1 year ago) cannot be restored using automated backups; restoring outside the retention window would require a manual snapshot taken at that time.

Question 2

An Amazon RDS MySQL production DB instance has automated backups enabled, but the instance is currently unencrypted. The team wants all automated backups to be encrypted at rest. What should they do to achieve this?

Create a snapshot of the DB instance, copy the snapshot with encryption enabled using an AWS KMS key, restore it to a new encrypted RDS DB instance, and cut over to the new instance; automated backups of the encrypted instance will then be encrypted. Encrypt automated back up data by creating IAM policies Modify the RDS instance to change the encrypted Automated Backup setting Store automated backup data in encrypted S3 storage

Correct Answer: Create a snapshot of the DB instance, copy the snapshot with encryption enabled using an AWS KMS key, restore it to a new encrypted RDS DB instance, and cut over to the new instance; automated backups of the encrypted instance will then be encrypted.

Amazon RDS encrypts data at rest (including automated backups, snapshots, and read replicas) when the DB instance is encrypted with an AWS KMS key. You cannot enable encryption in place on an existing unencrypted RDS instance. The correct approach is to take a snapshot of the current instance, copy the snapshot with encryption enabled (selecting a KMS key), restore that encrypted snapshot to create a new encrypted DB instance, and then switch traffic to it. Once the instance is encrypted, all automated backups are encrypted automatically.

Question 3

A company needs to be able to perform point-in-time recovery to any second within the last 30 days for an Amazon RDS DB instance. Automated backups are currently enabled with a 5-day retention period. What is the simplest change to meet this requirement?

Take a manual snapshot every 5 days and maintain a rolling 30-day retention period Export the data to Amazon S3 on a daily basis and retain it for 30 days Increase the retention period of automated backups to 30 days Manually create daily snapshots and retain them for 30 days

Correct Answer: Increase the retention period of automated backups to 30 days

Automated backups in Amazon RDS support point-in-time recovery (PITR) to any second within the configured retention period, up to 35 days for supported engines. Increasing the automated backup retention to 30 days provides PITR across the required window with minimal operational overhead. Manual snapshots (whether daily or every 5 days) create only discrete restore points and do not provide PITR. Exporting data to S3 also does not enable PITR and adds restore complexity.

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