Alibaba Cloud ACA-Cloud1 ACA Cloud Computing Associate Exam Practice Test

ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL is a cloud-based relational database service that provides secure, cost-effective, and scalable database solutions for various applications. RDS for MySQL supports creating read-only instances that are synchronized with the primary instance in real time. Read-only instances can handle read requests from applications and reduce the read pressure on the primary instance. This can improve the performance and availability of the database system. Read-only instances can also be used for scenarios such as report analysis, data backup, and disaster recovery.

References:

• Overview of read-only ApsaraDB RDS for MySQL instances
• ACA Cloud Computing Certification Exam Preparation Course
• Alibaba Cloud Computing Exam Question 2022

An ICP license is a permit issued by the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) that allows websites to operate in China. An ICP license is required for any website that is hosted on a mainland China server, or that wants to use a China-based CDN service to accelerate its access in China. Therefore, you would need to apply an ICP license in the following cases:

• Accelerate your Overseas Website in China: If you have a website that is hosted outside of China, but you want to use Alibaba Cloud’s CDN service to improve its performance and user experience in China, you would need to apply an ICP license for your domain name. This is because Alibaba Cloud’s CDN nodes are located in mainland China, and any website that uses them must comply with the Chinese regulations.
• Launch your website in China: If you want to host your website on an Alibaba Cloud ECS instance or OSS bucket that is located in mainland China, you would need to apply an ICP license for your domain name. This is because any website that is hosted on a mainland China server must have an ICP license to be accessible and legal in China.
• Launch your online shop in China: If you want to run an e-commerce website that sells goods or services to customers in China, you would need to apply an ICP license for your domain name. This is because any website that engages in commercial activities in China must have an ICP license to operate legally and securely in China.

References: What is an ICP License? - Alibaba Cloud Academy, ICP License Application - Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center

ECS instance filesystem directory operation is not a supported method to create a bucket in OSS. A bucket is a container for objects in OSS, and it is not related to the filesystem of an ECS instance. To create a bucket in OSS, you can use one of the following methods1:

• through OSS API/SDK: You can use the OSS API or SDK to call the PutBucket operation to create a bucket. The OSS API and SDK support various programming languages, such as Java, Python, PHP, C#, and Node.js2.
• through oss cmd tool: You can use the oss cmd tool, which is a command-line tool based on the OSS SDK for Python, to create a bucket by using the ossutil mb command3.
• through cloud console: You can use the Alibaba Cloud console to create a bucket by following the steps in the documentation4. References: 1: Create buckets - Object Storage Service - Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center2: PutBucket - API Reference| Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center3: Create a bucket - OSSUTIL User Guide| Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center4: Create a bucket - Object Storage Service - Alibaba Cloud Documentation Center.

 B, C, and E are the correct answers according to the ACA Cloud Computing by Alibaba Cloud Academy Reference Materials and documents. Comprehensive and Detailed Explanation: = B, C, and E are the correct answers because they are suitable services for developing a highly available web application using stateless web servers.

• B is correct because Server Load Balancer (SLB) is a service that distributes network traffic across groups of backend servers to improve the service capability and application availability. SLB can handle sudden spikes in traffic, minimize response time, and maintain 99.99% availability of the web application. SLB also supports health checks, session persistence, and cross-zone load balancing1
• C is correct because Elastic Compute Service (ECS) is a service that provides scalable and high-performance virtual machines for various computing needs. ECS can run stateless web servers that can be easily scaled up or down based on the demand. ECS can also use Auto Scaling to automate the scaling process and Elastic Self-Health to automatically recover from failures. ECS can also leverage the Alibaba Cloud network infrastructure, such as VPC, Express Connect, and Global Accelerator, to optimize the network connectivity and performance of the web servers2
• E is correct because Object Storage Service (OSS) is a service that provides massive, secure, and cost-effective storage for static files, such as images, videos, and documents. OSS can store the static content of the web application and reduce the load and cost of the ECS instances. OSS can also integrate with CDN to accelerate the delivery of the static content and improve the user experience and response time of the web application3

A and D are incorrect answers because they are not suitable services for developing a highly available web application using stateless web servers.

• A is incorrect because Relational Database Service (RDS) is a service that provides managed database systems, such as MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and PPAS. RDS is not a stateless web server, but a stateful data storage and processing service. RDS can be used to store the dynamic data of the web application, but it is not suitable for hosting the web application itself4
• D is incorrect because MaxCompute is a service that provides a fast and fully managed big data platform for large-scale data warehousing. MaxCompute is not a stateless web server, but a data analysis and processing service. MaxCompute can be used to perform complex data analytics and machine learning tasks, but it is not suitable for hosting the web application itself.

References: 1: SLB Overview 2: ECS Overview 3: OSS Overview 4: RDS Overview : [MaxCompute Overview]

Alibaba Cloud Architecture Design Training is a service that provides professional guidance and best practices for designing cloud architectures that meet the business requirements and goals of the company. Alibaba Cloud Architecture Design Training can help the company to understand the cloud migration process, select the appropriate Alibaba Cloud products and services, design a secure, reliable, scalable, and cost-effective cloud architecture, and implement the migration plan with minimal risks and disruptions. Alibaba Cloud Architecture Design Training can also help the company to optimize the performance and efficiency of the cloud system after the migration.

References:

• Alibaba Cloud Architecture Design Training
• Cloud Migration - Alibaba Cloud Solutions
• ACA-Cloud1 Alibaba Exam Questions and Answers - CertLibrary

Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer (SLB) is a service that distributes network traffic across multiple ECS instances to improve the service capabilities of applications. SLB supports different load balancing algorithms, such as round robin, weighted round robin, and least connections. When using the weighted round robin algorithm, SLB assigns different weights to backend ECS instances based on their processing capabilities. The higher the weight of a backend ECS instance, the more requests it will receive from SLB. However, the weight of a backend ECS instance is not the only factor that determines the load distribution. The number and the weight of other backend ECS instances in the same server group also affect the load balancing result. Therefore, without knowing the weight settings of the remaining 4 ECS instances, we cannot tell what would happen to the load distribution among the 5 ECS instances. The other statements are incorrect because they assume a fixed or proportional load distribution based on the weight of ecs_inst1, which is not necessarily true.

References:

• Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer
• [ACA Cloud Computing Certification Exam Preparation Course]
• Alibaba Cloud Computing Exam Question 2022

 ApsaraDB RDS is a cloud-based relational database service that provides secure, cost-effective, and scalable database solutions for various applications. RDS has many advantages over self-built databases, such as high availability, automatic backup, and easy O&M. One of the statements that is wrong when comparing RDS with self-built database is that self-built database supports quick deployment and elastic scaling. This is not true, because self-built database requires users to purchase, install, and configure hardware and software by themselves, which can be time-consuming and complex. Moreover, self-built database cannot easily adjust the computing and storage resources according to the business needs, which can lead to over-provisioning or under-provisioning. RDS, on the other hand, supports quick deployment and elastic scaling, because users can create, modify, or delete RDS instances in minutes through the console or API. Users can also scale up or down the RDS instance specifications, storage capacity, or network bandwidth without affecting the business continuity.

References:

• ApsaraDB RDS
• ACA Cloud Computing Certification Exam Preparation Course
• Which of the following statements is NOT correct, when comparing RDS …

Server Load Balancer (SLB) is a service that distributes network traffic across multiple ECS instances to improve the service capabilities of applications. By using SLB, you can increase the availability and fault tolerance of your applications. You can also use SLB with Auto Scaling to dynamically adjust the number of ECS instances based on the traffic load. Multiple lower-configuration I/O-optimized ECS instances can be used with SLB to deliver a high-availability architecture that can handle traffic spikes and reduce costs.

References:

• Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer
• Alibaba Cloud Elastic Compute Service
• ACA Cloud Computing Certification Exam Preparation Course

ECS can be used along with OSS to store static images, videos, and reducing storage fees. OSS is a fully managed object storage service that provides industry-leading scalability, durability, and performance. OSS can store any amount of data from anywhere, such as static images, videos, backup files, and so on. ECS is a cloud computing service that provides elastic and secure virtual cloud servers. ECS can access OSS resources by using an internal endpoint of OSS, which reduces the network latency and the traffic costs. By using ECS and OSS together, you can benefit from the following advantages1:

• Improved user experience: You can use OSS to store and deliver static content, such as images and videos, to your users. OSS integrates with CDN products to provide reliable, scalable, flexible, and cost-effective content distribution solutions. You can use ECS to run dynamic applications, such as web servers and databases, that require high performance and availability. ECS provides fast memory and the latest CPUs to help you power your cloud applications and achieve faster results with low latency.
• Reduced storage fees: You can use OSS to store large amounts of data at a low cost. OSS offers four tiers of storage: Standard, Infrequent Access, Archive, and Cold Archive. Each tier is cost-optimized for specific storage patterns. You can use lifecycle policies to automatically transition your data to the appropriate storage tier based on your business needs. You can also use Storage Capacity Unit to plan your storage budget and usage in one place. You can use ECS to scale your computing resources up or down based on real-time demands. ECS supports pay-as-you-go and different capacity reservation plans. You can also use spot instances to reduce your computing costs by up to 90%.
• Enhanced security: You can use OSS to protect your data from unauthorized access, deletion, or modification. OSS supports encryption at rest and in transit, anti-leech protection, bucket policies, RAM roles, and more. You can also use your own key (BYOK) encryption to ensure your data is encrypted when it is stored in the cloud platform. You can use ECS to secure your cloud servers from network attacks, such as DDoS and brute force attacks. ECS supports security groups, firewalls, VPCs, SSL certificates, and more. You can also use Resource Access Management (RAM) to control the access permissions of your ECS instances and OSS buckets. References: Use Alibaba Cloud CDN to accelerate access to OSS

Alibaba Cloud provides security services for the underlying hardware of cloud computing, such as physical security, network security, host security, and storage security. Alibaba Cloud also provides security isolation between cloud computing tenants, such as virtualization isolation, network isolation, and data isolation. These security services are part of Alibaba Cloud’s shared responsibility model, where Alibaba Cloud is responsible for the security of the cloud infrastructure, while customers are responsible for the security of their applications and data on the cloud. References: Alibaba Cloud Security Services, Alibaba Cloud Security & Compliance Center, Shared Responsibility Model

 An ECS image is a copy of data from one or more disks that are attached to an ECS instance. You cannot retrieve data directly from an ECS image and use it right away. You need to create an ECS instance from the image first, and then access the data on the disks of the instance. References: Elastic Compute Service:Image overview

 Alibaba Cloud CDN can directly accelerate the access to the files stored in OSS and reduce OSS traffic costs. Alibaba Cloud CDN is a global network of points of presence (POPs) that are distributed across the globe. Alibaba Cloud CDN serves to reduce back-to-origin traffic. This in turn prevents network congestion and reduces latency. If you use Alibaba Cloud CDN to accelerate access to OSS, you can benefit from the following advantages1:

• Improved user experience: Alibaba Cloud CDN caches the files stored in OSS to the POPs that are nearest to the users. This reduces the distance that the files need to travel and improves the access speed and user experience.
• Reduced OSS traffic costs: Alibaba Cloud CDN reduces the number of requests that are sent to OSS. This reduces the OSS traffic costs and the load on the OSS servers.
• Enhanced security: Alibaba Cloud CDN supports HTTPS secure acceleration and anti-leech protection. This ensures the security and integrity of the files stored in OSS. References: Use Alibaba Cloud CDN to accelerate access to OSS

A bucket is a container for objects in Object Storage Service (OSS). Every user can create more than one bucket, but every bucket should have a unique name in OSS. There is no limitation to the number of objects inside one bucket. However, the bucket name cannot be changed after creation. You cannot customize, change, or request a namespace name change1. If you want to modify an object, you must upload a new object with the same name as the existing one to replace it2. References: 3: Create a bucket - Object Storage Service - Alibaba Cloud3 4: Manage objects in a versioning-enabled bucket - Object Storage Service - Alibaba Cloud4 1: Understanding Object Storage Namespaces - Oracle1 2: OSS Concepts - Alibaba Object Storage Service Course - Cloud Academy2

 RDS for MySQL is a Platform as a Service (PaaS) product that provides a complete database solution on Alibaba Cloud. It is fully compatible with MySQL and supports various MySQL features, such as transactions, views, triggers, stored procedures, and functions. RDS for MySQL frees users from the tasks of managing the underlying operating system, runtime environment, and software packages. Users only need to focus on their business logic and data. Alibaba Cloud takes care of the database installation, configuration, backup, recovery, monitoring, scaling, and security. References: MySQL Database Concepts and Operations - Alibaba Cloud Academy, Alibaba RDS Course | Cloud Academy, ACA Cloud Computing Certification - Alibaba Cloud Academy

Session state data is the information that is associated with a specific user session, such as user preferences, shopping cart items, authentication tokens, etc. Session state data needs to be stored in a persistent and scalable way, so that it can be accessed by multiple web servers and survive server failures. Therefore, the suitable services for storing session state data are those that provide reliable, distributed, and high-performance data storage, such as RDS and Table Store.

RDS (Relational Database Service) is a fully managed online database service that supports various database engines, such as MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, MariaDB, and PPAS (PostgreSQL with Oracle compatibility)1. RDS provides high availability, backup and recovery, security, and monitoring features for your databases. RDS can store session state data in relational tables, and you can use SQL queries to access and manipulate the data.

Table Store is a fully managed NoSQL database service that provides consistent, scalable, and high-performance data storage for structured and semi-structured data2. Table Store organizes data in tables, rows, and columns, and supports primary key and attribute columns. Table Store can store session state data in flexible schemas, and you can use primary key queries or secondary index queries to access and manipulate the data.

References: 1: Alibaba Cloud Academy, “RDS Concepts”, https://edu.alibabacloud.com/elearning/lesson/ACA-Cloud-Computing-Certification/lesson-5-rds-concepts  2: Alibaba Cloud Academy, “Table Store”, https://edu.alibabacloud.com/elearning/lesson/ACA-Cloud-Computing-Certification/lesson-7-table-store

Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer (SLB) is a service that distributes network traffic across multiple ECS instances to improve the service capabilities of applications. SLB supports the following protocols for the listener configuration:

• HTTP: Hypertext Transfer Protocol, a stateless application-layer protocol that is used to transfer web pages and other resources over the internet.
• HTTPS: Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure, an extension of HTTP that uses SSL/TLS encryption to provide secure communication between the client and the server.
• TCP: Transmission Control Protocol, a reliable, connection-oriented transport-layer protocol that provides reliable data delivery and error recovery.
• UDP: User Datagram Protocol, a connectionless transport-layer protocol that provides fast and efficient data transmission without guaranteeing reliability or order.

SLB does not support the following protocols:

• MPLS: Multiprotocol Label Switching, a data-carrying technique that uses labels to forward packets across a network.
• MQTT: Message Queuing Telemetry Transport, a lightweight publish/subscribe messaging protocol that is designed for constrained devices and low-bandwidth networks.

References:

• Alibaba Cloud Server Load Balancer
• ACA Cloud Computing Certification Exam Preparation Course
• Alibaba Cloud Computing Exam Question 2022

 B is the correct answer because Auto Scaling can automatically remove unhealthy ECS instances from the scaling group, and also automatically add equivalent amount of new ECS instances back to the scaling group. This feature is called Elastic Self-Health, and it can improve the availability and reliability of the scaling group. Elastic Self-Health can be enabled or disabled in the scaling group settings. When Elastic Self-Health is enabled, Auto Scaling monitors the health status of the ECS instances in the scaling group based on the health check results of the Server Load Balancer (SLB) instances that are associated with the scaling group. If an ECS instance is detected as unhealthy by SLB for a specified period of time, Auto Scaling removes the unhealthy ECS instance from the scaling group and releases it. Then, Auto Scaling triggers a scale-out event to add a new ECS instance to the scaling group to maintain the desired capacity12 References: 1: Elastic Self-Health 2: Enable or disable Elastic Self-Health

 According to the Alibaba Cloud Academy, Alibaba Cloud Object Storage Service (OSS) is a massive, highly available, secured and cost effective storage service. OSS is superior than self-built storage in all these aspects. One of the advantages of OSS is its high availability, which means that the data stored in OSS can be accessed anytime and anywhere with minimal downtime or interruption. OSS achieves high availability by ensuring data reliability of not less than 99.99999999%. Data reliability is the probability that the data stored in OSS is not lost or corrupted. OSS ensures data reliability by automatically backing up data with multiple redundant copies across different devices and facilities. Therefore, the option B is the correct answer that relates to the high availability of OSS. References: What is OSS? - Alibaba Object Storage Service Course - Cloud Academy, [Object Storage Service(OSS): Store Data Safely In The Cloud - Alibaba Cloud Blog]

 A is the correct answer because RDS provides whitelist access policies that allow you to set permitted IP addresses and IP network segments to effectively prevent hackers from attacking the server by port scanning. A whitelist is a security feature that specifies the IP addresses or CIDR blocks that are allowed to access your RDS instance. By default, the whitelist is empty, which means that no IP address can access your RDS instance. You can add IP addresses or CIDR blocks to the whitelist according to your business needs. You can also create multiple whitelist groups and assign different IP addresses or CIDR blocks to each group. This can help you manage the access permissions of different users or applications12

References: 1: Configure a whitelist 2: ApsaraDB RDS:Configure an IP address whitelist

Auto Scaling is a management service that can automatically adjust elastic computing resources based on your business needs and policies. Auto Scaling supports the following features12:

• Elastic Scale-Out: Automatically adds ECS instances to handle increased workloads.
• Elastic Scale-In: Automatically removes ECS instances to reduce costs when workloads decrease.
• Elastic Self-Health: Automatically replaces unhealthy ECS instances to ensure high availability and reliability.
• Scheduled Scaling: Automatically adds or removes ECS instances based on predefined schedules.
• Predictive Scaling: Automatically predicts future workloads and adjusts ECS instances accordingly.

Elastic Self-Diagnostic is not a feature supported by Alibaba Cloud Auto Scaling. It is a fictitious term that does not exist in the Alibaba Cloud documentation or course materials. References: 1: Auto Scaling: Automatically Adjusts Computing Resources - Alibaba Cloud 2: Auto Scaling:What is Auto Scaling? - Alibaba Cloud

 According to the Alibaba Cloud Academy, Alibaba Cloud provides powerful security services that are the same level of security services used to support Alibaba Group’s Double 11 Shopping Festival. However, you do not have to pay first before using any of the security services. Alibaba Cloud offers some security services for free, such as Anti-DDoS Basic, Server Guard, and Security Center Basic Edition. Other security services, such as Anti-DDoS Pro, WAF, and Security Center Enterprise Edition, are charged based on different billing methods, such as subscription, pay-as-you-go, or traffic-based. Therefore, the statement is false. References: Alibaba Cloud Security Services - Alibaba Cloud Security Course - Cloud Academy, Alibaba Cloud Security Pricing - Alibaba Cloud