AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional — Question 890

A Solutions Architect must migrate an existing on-premises web application with 70 TB of static files supporting a public open-data initiative. The Architect wants to upgrade to the latest version of the host operating system as part of the migration effort.
Which is the FASTEST and MOST cost-effective way to perform the migration?

Answer options

• A. Run a physical-to-virtual conversion on the application server. Transfer the server image over the internet, and transfer the static data to Amazon S3.
• B. Run a physical-to-virtual conversion on the application server. Transfer the server image over AWS Direct Connect, and transfer the static data to Amazon S3.
• C. Re-platform the server to Amazon EC2, and use AWS Snowball to transfer the static data to Amazon S3.
• D. Re-platform the server by using the AWS Server Migration Service to move the code and data to a new Amazon EC2 instance.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

Re-platforming the server directly to Amazon EC2 allows the operating system to be easily upgraded to the latest version, which a physical-to-virtual (P2V) conversion of the existing server would not achieve. Additionally, utilizing AWS Snowball is the most rapid and cost-effective method to securely transfer 70 TB of static data to Amazon S3 compared to network-based transfers. Other options fail because P2V migrations preserve the old OS, and AWS Server Migration Service is not optimal for migrating massive volumes of static data.