SAP-C03 practice question: Hybrid and edge compute (Outposts, Local Zones, EKS and ECS Anywhere)
Architecture Design and Implementation Built for the Cloud A free question from our original SAP-C03 practice exam. Try it, then open the answer to see why each option is right or wrong.
A car maker runs robotic welding cells on its plant floor. Each cell's controller calls a machine-vision model to approve every weld, and the controller needs a reply within a few milliseconds, so the inference cannot run in a distant Region.
The plant's network link to AWS is shared with the office, and the plant must keep approving welds during an internet outage. The IT team wants AWS-managed hardware that runs the same EC2, EBS and container services it uses in the cloud, with no servers for the plant to maintain.
Which solution meets these requirements?
Choose one answer.
AA. Install an AWS Outposts rack in the plant, run the model on EC2 instances and containers on the rack, and have the welding cells call it over the plant's local network.
BB. Deploy the model on EC2 instances in an AWS Local Zone in the nearest metro area, which offers single-digit millisecond latency to nearby sites, and have the welding controllers call it over the plant's shared link.
CC. Run the model on the plant's existing Linux servers with Amazon ECS Anywhere, and let the plant's IT team patch, replace and monitor those servers.
DD. Run the model on EC2 instances in the Region closest to the plant, and connect the plant to that Region with two AWS Direct Connect connections.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: A
A. Right: Correct. An Outposts rack puts AWS-managed hardware and the same EC2, EBS and container services in the plant, so replies stay on the local network. The rack keeps running local workloads if the link to the parent Region drops.
B. Wrong: A Local Zone sits in a metro area rather than on the plant floor, so every reply still crosses the network. The link is also shared with the office, so welding could stop in an outage.
C. Wrong: ECS Anywhere can run containers on servers the customer owns and fits the latency need. It conflicts with the requirement for AWS-managed hardware and with having no servers for the plant to maintain.
D. Wrong: Direct Connect shortens the path, but the round trip to a Region still adds delay that the controllers cannot tolerate. Replies would also stop during a Region or link outage.
Explanation
Outposts gives a few-millisecond local path on AWS-managed hardware and keeps local workloads running through an outage. A Local Zone or Region still depends on the wide area link, and ECS Anywhere puts server operations back on the plant team.
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