AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) — Question 2

A company is running an SMB file server in its data center. The file server stores large files that are accessed frequently for the first few days after the files are created. After 7 days the files are rarely accessed.
The total data size is increasing and is close to the company's total storage capacity. A solutions architect must increase the company's available storage space without losing low-latency access to the most recently accessed files. The solutions architect must also provide file lifecycle management to avoid future storage issues.
Which solution will meet these requirements?

Answer options

• A. Use AWS DataSync to copy data that is older than 7 days from the SMB file server to AWS.
• B. Create an Amazon S3 File Gateway to extend the company's storage space. Create an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition the data to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 7 days.
• C. Create an Amazon FSx for Windows File Server file system to extend the company's storage space.
• D. Install a utility on each user's computer to access Amazon S3. Create an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition the data to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 7 days.

Correct answer: B

Explanation

Option B is correct because it allows for the extension of storage through Amazon S3 while ensuring that files older than 7 days are moved to a lower-cost storage class, meeting both access and lifecycle management needs. Option A does not provide immediate access to files, while C does not incorporate lifecycle management for older files. Option D relies on user-installed utilities, which may not be practical or efficient for all users.