AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) — Question 910
A company is using AWS DataSync to migrate millions of files from an on-premises system to AWS. The files are 10 KB in size on average.
The company wants to use Amazon S3 for file storage. For the first year after the migration, the files will be accessed once or twice and must be immediately available. After 1 year, the files must be archived for at least 7 years.
Which solution will meet these requirements MOST cost-effectively?
Answer options
- A. Use an archive tool to group the files into large objects. Use DataSync to migrate the objects. Store the objects in S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval for the first year. Use a lifecycle configuration to transition the files to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 1 year with a retention period of 7 years.
- B. Use an archive tool to group the files into large objects. Use DataSync to copy the objects to S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA). Use a lifecycle configuration to transition the files to S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval after 1 year with a retention period of 7 years.
- C. Configure the destination storage class for the files as S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval. Use a lifecycle policy to transition the files to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 1 year with a retention period of 7 years.
- D. Configure a DataSync task to transfer the files to S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA). Use a lifecycle configuration to transition the files to S3 Deep Archive after 1 year with a retention period of 7 years.
Correct answer: A
Explanation
Grouping millions of small 10 KB files into larger archive objects before migration is essential to avoid significant S3 metadata storage overhead, request fees, and the 128 KB minimum storage charge penalty associated with S3 Glacier and S3 Standard-IA tiers. S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is the most economical choice for the first year as it supports immediate access for rarely accessed data. S3 Glacier Deep Archive provides the lowest-cost storage tier for the subsequent 7-year long-term retention requirement.