Question #1157
A company operates a logistics application on AWS. Each shipment request is published as a message in an Apache ActiveMQ queue running on an Amazon EC2 instance in a single Availability Zone. These messages are processed by a backend application running on a separate EC2 instance, which then stores the data in a MySQL database on another EC2 instance. All instances are in the same Availability Zone. The company wants to redesign the architecture for maximum availability with minimal operational effort. What should a solutions architect recommend?
Migrate the ActiveMQ queue to a Multi-AZ Auto Scaling group. Create a Multi-AZ Auto Scaling group for the backend application. Migrate the database to Amazon RDS for MySQL configured for Multi-AZ deployment.
Migrate the ActiveMQ queue to Amazon MQ with active/standby brokers. Deploy the backend application on a Multi-AZ Auto Scaling group. Migrate the database to Amazon RDS for MySQL with Multi-AZ deployment.
Deploy the ActiveMQ queue, backend application, and MySQL database each on their own Multi-AZ Auto Scaling groups.
Migrate the ActiveMQ queue to Amazon MQ with active/standby brokers. Deploy the backend application on EC2 instances in multiple Availability Zones. Migrate the database to a Multi-AZ Auto Scaling group.
Explanation
Answer B is correct because:
1. Amazon MQ (managed ActiveMQ) provides built-in active/standby brokers across AZs, reducing operational overhead compared to self-managed EC2.
2. Multi-AZ Auto Scaling for the backend ensures high availability and automatic recovery during AZ failures.
3. Amazon RDS Multi-AZ automates database replication and failover, minimizing manual intervention.
Other options are incorrect because:
- A: Self-managed ActiveMQ on EC2 with Auto Scaling requires more effort than using Amazon MQ.
- C: Using Auto Scaling groups for MySQL is less efficient than RDS Multi-AZ, which handles replication/failover automatically.
- D: Deploying MySQL on an Auto Scaling group is operationally complex compared to RDS Multi-AZ.
Key Points: Use managed services (Amazon MQ, RDS) for HA with minimal effort; Auto Scaling groups for stateless applications.
Answer
The correct answer is: B