The correct answers are Enable automatic backups on the source instance by setting the backup retention period to a value other than 0 and Enable binlog replication on the RDS primary node.

To create an Amazon RDS read replica for a MySQL database, the source DB instance must have automated backups enabled. This is done by setting the backup retention period to a value greater than zero. Without this, replication cannot be initialized. Additionally, binary logging (binlog replication) must be enabled on the source database to allow changes to be captured and streamed to the replica.

Choose a failover priority for the source DB instance is not required for creating a read replica. Failover priority is a setting used with Amazon Aurora or Multi-AZ deployments and is unrelated to read replica configuration.

Allow long-running transactions to complete on the source DB instance is not a prerequisite for creating a read replica. While it may help avoid replication lag, it is not a technical requirement for initiating replication.

Create a global table and specify the AWS Regions where the table will be available applies to Amazon DynamoDB and is completely unrelated to Amazon RDS or MySQL.

Why this question matters: It tests knowledge of prerequisites for deploying read replicas in Amazon RDS, which is a critical strategy for improving read scalability and offloading query traffic. These configuration steps are often overlooked by those unfamiliar with the operational aspects of RDS replication.

Tip: Always ensure automated backups are enabled and that binary logging is turned on before trying to create a read replica in Amazon RDS for MySQL. These are mandatory steps and will block the replica creation process if not configured correctly.

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