Question #776
A company is conducting batch processing jobs in their AWS environment. The jobs can be interrupted and do not require continuous execution. Which Amazon EC2 purchasing option will most cost-effectively meet these requirements?
On-Demand Instances
Dedicated Instances
Spot Instances
Reserved Instances
Explanation
Spot Instances (C) are the correct choice because they offer the lowest cost for workloads that can tolerate interruptions, such as batch processing. AWS allows users to bid on spare EC2 capacity at significantly reduced rates (up to 90% cheaper than On-Demand). If the Spot price exceeds the bid or capacity becomes unavailable, instances are interrupted, which aligns with the requirement that jobs 'can be interrupted.'
Other options are less suitable:
- A. On-Demand Instances: No upfront cost but expensive for long-running or interruptible jobs.
- B. Dedicated Instances: Physically isolated hardware, which adds cost and is unnecessary for batch jobs.
- D. Reserved Instances: Require a long-term commitment (1/3 years) and are ideal for steady-state workloads, not interruptible jobs.
Key Takeaway: Spot Instances are optimal for fault-tolerant, flexible workloads where cost is a priority.
Answer
The correct answer is: C