AWS Solutions Architect Associate Practice Test

If an Amazon EBS volume is an additional partition, can it be detached without stopping the instance?

1. Yes, but it may take some time

2. No, you still need to stop the instance

3. Yes, at any time

4. No, but it will not affect the instance

The correct answer is: Yes, but it may take some time

When dealing with Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) volumes, the ability to detach a volume while the instance is running hinges on the nature of the EBS volume classification. EBS volumes can be classified as either root volumes, which contain the operating system, or additional (data) volumes that provide extra storage. In the case of additional EBS volumes — those that are not the root device — you can detach them while the instance is operating. However, this process might take some time, especially if the volume is currently in use by the application that the instance is running. The detachment process involves ensuring that all data has been successfully written to the volume and that it is no longer being accessed before it is safely removed. Thus, while it is indeed possible to perform this action without stopping the instance, it is essential to recognize that a brief period may be required for the detachment to complete and for the volume to be fully available for reattachment or deletion. This is why the response indicating that detaching is possible but may take some time is accurate. The other options suggest limitations or requirements that are not accurate in the context of EBS volume management. For example, stopping the instance is not necessary for detaching additional EBS