RDS, Aurora & Elasticache Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 6 databases that RDS supports?

A
  • Postgres
  • MySQL
  • MariaDB
  • Oracle
  • Microsoft SQL Server
  • Aurora
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2
Q

How many read replicas can you have?

A

Up to 5

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3
Q

Are all read replicas in the same AZ?

A

You can have them in the same AZ, cross AZ or cross region

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4
Q

What does async replication mean?

A

It means the reads are eventually consistent

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5
Q

How does an application leverage read replicas?

A

You need to update the connection string

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6
Q

What is a typical use case for read replicas?

A

When you need a reporting application to read data but don’t want the production application to be impacted

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7
Q

What SQL keyword can be used with read replicas?

A

SELECT only. Not UPDATE, INSERT or DELETE

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8
Q

Do you have to pay for cross AZ traffic in read replicas?

A

If you are within the same region, the cross AZ traffic is free

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9
Q

What is RDS Multi AZ for?

A

It is for Disaster Recovery

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10
Q

In Multi AZ, how does the application switch from the main DB to the backup DB?

A

The application connects using a DNS name, which will automatically point to the backup if the master goes down.

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11
Q

Can read replicas be setup as Multi AZ for Disaster Recovery?

A

Yes

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12
Q

How do I make my DB go from single AZ to multi AZ?

A

Just click on Modify in the database and enable multi AZ. It causes zero downtime

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13
Q

What happens when I click enable multi AZ?

A
  • A snapshot of the DB is taken.
  • A new DB is restored from the snapshot in a new AZ
  • Synchronization is established between the 2 DBs
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14
Q

Can I encrypt a read replica?

A

Only if the master is encrypted

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15
Q

How do you enforce SSL in Postgres?

A

In the RDS console, in Parameter Groups, set:

rds.force_ssl=1

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16
Q

How do you enforce SSL in MySQL?

A

Within the DB, run the following:

GRANT USAGE ON . TO ‘mysqluser’@’%’ REQUIRE SSL;

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17
Q

What are the 4 steps to encrypt an unencrypted DB?

A
  • Create a snapshot
  • Copy the snapshot and enable encryption
  • Restore the DB using the encrypted snapshot
  • Migrate apps to the new DB and delete the old one
18
Q

What are the 4 things I am responsible for with RDS security?

A
  • Check ports/IP/inbound security group rules
  • In-DB user creation and permissions or manage through IAM
  • Create a DB with or without public access
  • Ensure parameter groups or DB is configured to allow SSL
19
Q

What is AWS responsible for with RDS security?

A
  • No SSH access
  • No manual DB patching
  • No manual OS patching
  • No way to audit the underlying instance
20
Q

What are the 2 DBs supported by Aurora?

A
  • Postgres

- MySQL

21
Q

How does Aurora maintain high availability and read scaling?

A

It has 6 copies of your data across 3 AZs

22
Q

What are the 6 copies used for?

A
  • 4 copies out of 6 needed for writes

- 3 copies of of 6 needed for reads

23
Q

Does Aurora support cross region replication?

A

yes

24
Q

What is a Writer endpoint in Aurora?

A

It is the DNS name the clients points to to communicate with the master

25
Q

What is the Reader endpoint in Aurora?

A

It is the DNS name clients communicate with to read from the DB. This supports Load Balancing to all read replcias

26
Q

What is a custom endpoint in Aurora?

A

It is a new endpoint you can point at specific Read Replicas to do analytic queries for example

27
Q

What happens when you create a custom endpoint in Aurora?

A

The Reader Endpoint is no longer used and you need to create custom endpoints to point at specific read replicas

28
Q

What is Aurora Multi Master?

A

It is when Aurora Serverless allows every node to read/write

29
Q

What is Elasticache?

A

It allows you to get managed Redis or Memcached

30
Q

What are the 4 features of Redis?

A
  • Multi AZ failover
  • Read Replicas to scale
  • Data Durability
  • Backup and restore features
31
Q

What are 5 things to note about Memcached?

A
  • Multi node for data partitioning
  • No High Availability
  • Non persistent
  • No backup and restore
  • Multi threaded
32
Q

Does Elasticache support IAM authentication?

A

no

33
Q

What are the 2 security options for Redis?

A
  • Set a pwd/token when creating a cluster

- Supports SSL for in flight encryption

34
Q

What auth method does Memcached support?

A

SASL based auth

35
Q

What are the 3 patterns for Elasticache?

A
  • Lazy Loading
  • Write Through
  • Session State
36
Q

What is Redis Sorted Sets?

A

It gaurantees uniqueness and element ordering, so its good for game leader boards etc

37
Q

What is the Postgres port?

A

5432

38
Q

What is the MySql port

A

3306

39
Q

What is the Oracle RDS port?

A

1521

40
Q

What is the MSSQL Server port?

A

1433

41
Q

What is the MairiaDB port?

A

3306 - same as MySQL

42
Q

What is the Aurora port?

A

5432 if Postgres

3306 if MySQL