AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – AssociateDeployment, Provisioning, and AutomationEasy
A SysOps team needs to automate the patching of Amazon EC2 instances across multiple environments. The patching process should include scanning for missing patches, applying approved patches, and rebooting instances if necessary, all without manual intervention. Which AWS service combination provides the most efficient and comprehensive solution for this task?
- AAWS Systems Manager Patch Manager for patching and Maintenance Windows for scheduling.
- BAWS Config rules to detect non-compliant instances and AWS Lambda functions for patching.
- CAmazon CloudWatch Events to trigger EC2 Run Command for patch installation.
- DAWS CloudFormation to deploy a custom AMI with the latest patches.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager for patching and Maintenance Windows for scheduling.
AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager is specifically designed for automating the patching process for EC2 instances, including scanning, applying patches, and managing reboots. Maintenance Windows allow scheduling these operations during non-peak hours to minimize disruption.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. AWS Config can detect non-compliance but doesn't directly perform patching. Lambda would require custom scripting for the entire patching workflow.
- C. While EC2 Run Command can install patches, CloudWatch Events would only trigger it. This combination lacks the comprehensive patch baseline management and reporting features of Patch Manager.
- D. Creating custom AMIs for every patch cycle is a reactive and less automated approach to ongoing patching, and doesn't handle the scheduling or reboot aspects directly.
AWS Systems Manager Patch Manager
A service that automates the process of patching managed instances with security updates and other types of updates.
- Automates patch scanning and installation.
- Integrates with Maintenance Windows for scheduling.
- Supports Windows and Linux operating systems.
Memory trick: Systems Manager patches, Maintenance Window catches.