AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C02) — Question 698

A company has more than 5 TB of file data on Windows file servers that run on premises. Users and applications interact with the data each day.
The company is moving its Windows workloads to AWS. As the company continues this process, the company requires access to AWS and on-premises file storage with minimum latency. The company needs a solution that minimizes operational overhead and requires no significant changes to the existing file access patterns. The company uses an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection for connectivity to AWS.
What should a solutions architect do to meet these requirements?

Answer options

• A. Deploy and configure Amazon FSx for Windows File Server on AWS. Move the on-premises file data to FSx for Windows File Server. Reconfigure the workloads to use FSx for Windows File Server on AWS.
• B. Deploy and configure an Amazon S3 File Gateway on premises. Move the on-premises file data to the S3 File Gateway. Reconfigure the on-premises workloads and the cloud workloads to use the S3 File Gateway.
• C. Deploy and configure an Amazon S3 File Gateway on premises. Move the on-premises file data to Amazon S3. Reconfigure the workloads to use either Amazon S3 directly or the S3 File Gateway, depending on each workload's location.
• D. Deploy and configure Amazon FSx for Windows File Server on AWS. Deploy and configure an Amazon FSx File Gateway on premises. Move the on-premises file data to the FSx File Gateway. Configure the cloud workloads to use FSx for Windows File Server on AWS. Configure the on-premises workloads to use the FSx File Gateway.

Correct answer: D

Explanation

Option D is correct because deploying Amazon FSx for Windows File Server alongside an on-premises FSx File Gateway provides local caching, ensuring low-latency file access for on-premises users while maintaining native SMB protocols and NTFS permissions. Options B and C are incorrect because Amazon S3 File Gateway is backed by S3 buckets, which do not natively support Windows NTFS permissions and file access patterns as seamlessly as FSx. Option A is incorrect because accessing FSx for Windows File Server directly over a VPN from on-premises would introduce significant network latency and fail to meet the low-latency requirement.