Improving RDS Performance with Provisioned IOPS SSD

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine high-performing database solutions.

Short answer

C Replace the volume with a Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) volume to support consistent high IOPS beyond gp3 limits.

Question

A company is running a multi-tier ecommerce web application in the AWS Cloud. The application runs on Amazon EC2 instances with an Amazon RDS for MySQL Multi-AZ DB instance. Amazon RDS is configured with the latest generation DB instance with 2,000 GB of storage in a General Purpose SSD (gp3) Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) volume. The database performance affects the application during periods of high demand.
A database administrator analyzes the logs in Amazon CloudWatch Logs and discovers that the application performance always degrades when the number of read and write IOPS is higher than 20,000.
What should a solutions architect do to improve the application performance?
  1. Replace the volume with a magnetic volume.
  2. Increase the number of IOPS on the gp3 volume.
  3. Replace the volume with a Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) volume. Correct Answer
  4. Replace the 2,000 GB gp3 volume with two 1,000 GB gp3 volumes.

Key Takeaways

Test-takers must recognize that gp3 volumes have a hard limit of 16,000 IOPS, making them insufficient for workloads requiring 20,000+ IOPS, necessitating a switch to io2.

Learn how to resolve RDS MySQL performance degradation caused by high IOPS requirements by switching from gp3 to Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) volumes.

Common mistake: Choosing Option B (increasing gp3 IOPS) is common, but it fails because gp3 cannot reach 20,000 IOPS on a single volume; candidates often overlook the 16k ceiling.

Expert Analysis

The scenario describes a database workload hitting performance degradation specifically when IOPS exceed 20,000. The current storage is gp3, which has a baseline of 3,000 IOPS and can be scaled up to 16,000 IOPS natively (or higher with burst credits, but sustained high IOPS are the concern). When a workload consistently requires more than the maximum standard provisioning for gp3 or needs guaranteed, predictable latency at very high IOPS levels, Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) is the designated solution in AWS architecture.

Option C is correct because io2 volumes support up to 256,000 IOPS and provide the highest level of consistency and durability required for mission-critical databases like RDS MySQL under heavy load. While Option B suggests increasing IOPS on gp3, gp3 maxes out at 16,000 IOPS per volume without using Block Express configurations (which are not implied here as 'latest generation' usually refers to instance type or engine, but standard gp3 limits apply). Since the threshold is 20,000 IOPS, gp3 cannot sustain this level natively. Option A is incorrect as magnetic volumes are obsolete and slow. Option D is invalid because RDS manages storage underlying volumes automatically; users cannot manually split a single RDS storage volume into two separate volumes via console settings, and RDS handles striping internally based on the chosen storage class.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/ebs-volume-types.html

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

Always check the maximum IOPS/Throughput limits of EBS storage types against the scenario's numbers. If the requirement exceeds the maximum configurable limit of gp3 (16,000 IOPS), immediately consider io1/io2. Do not assume 'increasing settings' works if the service cap is lower than the demand.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum IOPS for a gp3 volume?

A single gp3 volume supports up to 16,000 IOPS. It provides a baseline of 3,000 IOPS that can be provisioned up to 16,000.

Can I manually split an RDS storage volume into multiple volumes?

No. Amazon RDS manages the underlying storage volumes automatically. You select the storage type (gp3 or io2), and RDS handles the physical layout and striping.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

C
40%
B
36%
D
24%

40% of anonymous learners picked answer C. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 86 contributions

Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.

From public community threads 30 of 86

  1. Bezha 👍 37 Answered D
    A - Magnetic Max IOPS 200 - Wrong B - gp3 Max IOPS 16000 per volume - Wrong C - RDS not supported io2 - Wrong D - Correct; 2 gp3 volume with 16 000 each 2*16000 = 32 000 IOPS
  2. Michal_L_95 👍 15 Answered B
    It can not be option C as RDS does not support io2 storage type (only io1). Here is a link to the RDS storage documentation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html Also it is not the best option to take Magnetic storage as it supports max 1000 IOPS. I vote for option B as gp3 storage type supports up to 64 000 IOPS where question mentioned with problem at level of 20 000.
  3. zits88 👍 9 Answered C
    io2 is now supported by RDS as of 2024. It wasn't at one point, but people need to check the docs when they start saying it's not supported. Just because it was once true does not mean that it still is.
  4. zits88 👍 7
    https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html - Right there in the first paragraph: "Amazon RDS provides three storage types: General Purpose SSD (also known as gp2 and gp3), Provisioned IOPS SSD (also known as io1 and io2 Block Express), and magnetic (also known as standard). They differ in performance characteristics and price, which means that you can tailor your storage performance and cost to the needs of your database workload. You can create Db2, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and PostgreSQL RDS DB instances with up to 64 tebibytes (TiB) of storage. "
  5. Skip 👍 7
    Hey I don't think the io2 restiction exist anymore, as from March 2024. See below.... https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-rds-now-supports-io2-block-express-volumes-for-mission-critical-database-workloads/#:~:text=1%20io2%20Block%20Express%20volumes%20are%20available%20on,of%20IOPS%20to%20allocated%20storage%20is%20500%3A1.%20
Show 25 more comments
  1. dkw2342 👍 6
    I really wonder how this answer can be the top answer. How would it even be possible to provision multiple gp3 volumes for RDS? RDS manages the storage, we have no influence on the number of volumes. Striping is something that RDS does automatically depending on storage class and volume size: "When you select General Purpose SSD or Provisioned IOPS SSD, depending on the engine selected and the amount of storage requested, Amazon RDS automatically stripes across multiple volumes to enhance performance (...)" For MariaDB with 400 to 64,000 GiB of gp3 storage, RDS automatically provisions 4 volumes. This gives us 12,000 IOPS baseline and can be increased up to 64,000 provisioned IOPS. RDS does not support io2. Therefore: Option B
  2. wRhlH 👍 6
    that Link is to EBS instead of RDS
  3. FrozenCarrot 👍 6 Answered C
    Now EBS support io2.
  4. Guru4Cloud 👍 5 Answered C
    Option C, which involves replacing the gp3 volume with a Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) volume and provisioning the necessary IOPS, is the most appropriate choice to improve application performance in this scenario. Your explanation is spot on, and it's essential to ensure that the provisioned IOPS exceed the 20,000 IOPS required to handle the database workload during periods of high demand. Your analysis effectively rules out the other options (A, B, and D) and provides a clear justification for selecting option C. Well done!
  5. elearningtakai 👍 5 Answered B
    RDS currently is not support io2 GP3 up to 64,000 IOPS https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2022/11/amazon-rds-general-purpose-gp3-storage-volumes/
  6. Lin878 👍 5 Answered C
    It should be "C" right, now. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-rds-now-supports-io2-block-express-volumes-for-mission-critical-database-workloads/
  7. example_ 👍 5 Answered C
    https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html
  8. ktulu2602 👍 4 Answered C
    Provisioned IOPS SSD provides predictable and consistent IOPS performance, which is necessary for database workloads. Option A of replacing the volume with a magnetic volume is not a suitable solution since magnetic volumes are designed for infrequent access and cannot provide the required performance for database workloads. Option B of increasing the number of IOPS on the gp3 volume may not solve the issue since gp3 volumes are designed to provide burstable IOPS performance, which means that they can provide high performance but for a limited duration. Option D of replacing the 2,000 GB gp3 volume with two 1,000 GB gp3 volumes is not an optimal solution because it does not address the underlying issue of inconsistent and unpredictable IOPS performance.
  9. zits88 👍 4
    Thank you, I see people saying that it is not supported everywhere. Now, a whole 'nother thing is whether AWS has updated SAA to reflect these changes. Given how terribly a lot of the REAL EXAM QUESTIONS are written, I wouldn't be surprised if they have NOT updated the exam at all
  10. lprina 👍 4
    If you reached this discussion after March 5th, RDS supports io2 now:https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-rds-now-supports-io2-block-express-volumes-for-mission-critical-database-workloads/
  11. jaydesai8 👍 4 Answered B
    GP3 scales up to 64,000 IOPS - with an additional cost https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/whats-new/2022/11/amazon-rds-general-purpose-gp3-storage-volumes/
  12. zits88 👍 4
    It must be that io2 was originally not supported by RDS, because I see this untruth reposted everywhere. It totally is.
  13. Scheldon 👍 4 Answered C
    Per the newest info it should be C right now https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html
  14. Santosh43 👍 4
    D- this link confirms that.. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html
  15. Maximus007 👍 4 Answered B
    RDS does not support io2 storage type (only io1)
  16. studydue 👍 4
    Updated 2024 Answer: C
  17. kruasan 👍 3 Answered B
    {C} - io2 is not supported {D} - ?? {B} - definitely feasible Amazon RDS gp3 volumes give you the flexibility to provision storage performance independently of storage capacity, paying only for the resources you need. Every gp3 volume provides you the ability to select from 20 GiB to 64 TiB of storage capacity, with a baseline storage performance of 3,000 IOPS included with the price of storage. For workloads that need even more performance, you can scale up to 64,000 IOPS for an additional cost. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html
  18. GalileoEC2 👍 3
    is this true? Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) supports the Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) storage type for its database instances. The io2 storage type is designed to deliver predictable performance for critical and highly demanding database workloads. It provides higher durability, higher IOPS, and lower latency compared to other Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) storage types. RDS offers the option to choose between the General Purpose SSD (gp3) and Provisioned IOPS SSD (io2) storage types for database instances.
  19. MikeJANG 👍 3 Answered C
    GPT4 Option B is incorrect because it does not address the app's need for more than 20000 iops, which is the maximum capa of gp3 volmes. Option D might appear to be more economical, it does not address the core isuue of needing more than 20000 iops. Provisioned IOPS SSD(io2) volume resolves the perfomance issues without requiring additional management overhead or future scaling concerns, it may be the more cost-effective solution in th long run.
  20. KAUS2 👍 3 Answered C
    Option "C" is the correct one - Provisioned IOPS (PIOPS) SSD - - Critical business applications with sustained IOPS performance Or applications that need more than 16,000 IOPS - Great for databases workloads (sensitive to storage perf and consistency)
  21. samehpalass 👍 3 Answered B
    B-icrease GP3 IOPS DB storage size for gp3 above 400 G support up to 64,000 IOPS, please check the below link: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonRDS/latest/UserGuide/CHAP_Storage.html
  22. IlaS 👍 3
    Can anyone pls tell why B option is most voted ? For general purpose Ssd gp2 gp3 , the max oops can be 16000 only
  23. joechen2023 👍 3
    https://repost.aws/knowledge-center/ebs-volume-type-differences RDS does support io2
  24. MatAlves 👍 3
    Nice to see that everyone just picked a different answer...
  25. zdi561 👍 3 Answered C
    RDS now support io2

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