AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (legacy) — Question 649

A kernel patch for AWS Linux has been released, and systems need to be updated to the new version. A SysOps administrator must apply an in-place update to an existing Amazon EC2 instance without replacing the instance.
How should the SysOps administrator apply the new software version to the instance?

Answer options

• A. Add the instance to a patch group and patch baseline containing the desired patch by using AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager.
• B. Develop a new version of the instance's Amazon Machine Image (AMI). Apply that new AMI to the instance.
• C. Develop a new user data script containing the patch. Configure the instance with the new script.
• D. Run commands on the instance remotely using the AWS CLI.

Correct answer: A

Explanation

AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager allows administrators to automate the process of applying patches to EC2 instances in-place without replacing them. Generating a new AMI or modifying user data would require replacing the instance to apply the changes. Using the AWS CLI to run commands remotely lacks the structured compliance tracking and automation provided natively by Patch Manager.