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SAP-C02 · Question #530

A solutions architect needs to review the design of an Amazon EMR cluster that is using the EMR File System (EMRFS). The cluster performs tasks that are critical to business needs. The cluster is…

The correct answer is B. Launch the primary and core nodes on On-Demand Instances. Launch the task nodes on Spot. To minimize compute costs for an Amazon EMR cluster running critical daily tasks, the primary and core nodes should be launched as On-Demand Instances for stability, while task nodes should utilize cost-effective Spot Instances in an instance fleet, with the entire cluster…

Submitted by devops_kid· Mar 6, 2026Continuous Improvement for Existing Solutions

Question

A solutions architect needs to review the design of an Amazon EMR cluster that is using the EMR File System (EMRFS). The cluster performs tasks that are critical to business needs. The cluster is running Amazon EC2 On-Demand Instances at all times for all task, primary, and core nodes. The EMR tasks run each morning, starting at 1:00 AM. and take 6 hours to finish running. The amount of time to complete the processing is not a priority because the data is not referenced until late in the day. The solutions architect must review the architecture and suggest a solution to minimize the compute costs. Which solution should the solutions architect recommend to meet these requirements?

Options

  • ALaunch all task, primary, and core nodes on Spot Instances in an instance fleet. Terminate the
  • BLaunch the primary and core nodes on On-Demand Instances. Launch the task nodes on Spot
  • CContinue to launch all nodes on On-Demand Instances. Terminate the cluster, including all
  • DLaunch the primary and core nodes on On-Demand Instances. Launch the task nodes on Spot

How the community answered

(18 responses)
  • A
    11% (2)
  • B
    72% (13)
  • C
    6% (1)
  • D
    11% (2)

Why each option

To minimize compute costs for an Amazon EMR cluster running critical daily tasks, the primary and core nodes should be launched as On-Demand Instances for stability, while task nodes should utilize cost-effective Spot Instances in an instance fleet, with the entire cluster terminated after the daily tasks are completed.

ALaunch all task, primary, and core nodes on Spot Instances in an instance fleet. Terminate the

Using Spot Instances for all nodes, including primary and core, introduces a high risk of interruptions that could compromise the stability and data integrity of critical EMR clusters.

BLaunch the primary and core nodes on On-Demand Instances. Launch the task nodes on SpotCorrect

Running primary and core nodes on On-Demand Instances ensures cluster stability for critical workloads, while leveraging Spot Instances for task nodes significantly reduces compute costs, and terminating the cluster after completion optimizes costs by paying only for active processing time.

CContinue to launch all nodes on On-Demand Instances. Terminate the cluster, including all

While terminating the cluster after tasks reduces costs compared to running 24/7, continuing to use On-Demand for all nodes misses the significant cost savings available from using Spot Instances for task nodes.

DLaunch the primary and core nodes on On-Demand Instances. Launch the task nodes on Spot

Not terminating the cluster means it continues to run and incur costs 24/7, even though tasks only run for 6 hours daily, which directly contradicts the goal of minimizing compute costs.

Concept tested: EMR Cost Optimization, Spot Instances, On-Demand Instances, Cluster Termination

Source: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/emr/latest/ManagementGuide/emr-plan-budget.html

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