Question 1mediummultiple choice
Full question →mediummultiple choiceObjective-mapped
A company runs a legacy on-premises file server that stores 10 TB of shared documents used by a team of 50 employees. The company wants to migrate this data to Amazon S3 to benefit from durable, scalable storage. However, the team requires low-latency access to frequently used files (less than 5 milliseconds latency) because the application reads and writes files multiple times per second. The company also wants to maintain a local cache of recently accessed files on premises to reduce latency and minimize egress costs. The entire solution should be managed through the AWS Management Console and support standard file-sharing protocols like SMB. Which AWS service should the company use to meet these requirements?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
A
Best answer
AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway
This service is designed exactly for this use case: it provides a local VM that caches frequently accessed files on premises, presents SMB/NFS shares to applications, and stores the primary data in Amazon S3. It offers low-latency access through the cache and is managed from the AWS Management Console.
B
Distractor review
Amazon FSx for Windows File Server
FSx for Windows File Server is a fully managed native Windows file server running in AWS. While it supports SMB protocol, it does not include an on-premises caching component. Access from on-premises requires a network connection (VPN or Direct Connect) with no local cache, which would introduce latency and recurring egress costs for every file operation.
C
Distractor review
AWS DataSync
AWS DataSync is designed for large-scale data transfers from on-premises to AWS (or vice versa) over the internet or Direct Connect. It can copy the initial 10 TB to S3 efficiently, but it does not provide ongoing low-latency file access with local caching. After the transfer is complete, DataSync is not used for daily read/write operations.
D
Distractor review
Amazon S3 with AWS Direct Connect
While Direct Connect provides a dedicated, high-bandwidth network connection from on-premises to AWS, there is no local cache. Each file read/write would require a round trip over the Direct Connect link to S3, resulting in latencies that typically exceed 5 milliseconds for small I/O operations. Additionally, all data movements incur egress charges, and the solution does not provide a standard SMB file share interface.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
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More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
Question 1
A developer needs to launch a test server for a new application prototype. The developer logs into the AWS Management Console, selects an Amazon EC2 instance type, configures the security group, and starts the instance. The instance is running within two minutes, and the developer did not need to submit a formal request to the company's IT procurement team or wait for approval from a cloud administrator. Which essential characteristic of cloud computing does this scenario best demonstrate?
Question 2
A solutions architect is planning a new web application on AWS. The workload will include 3 Amazon EC2 instances (t3.medium) running 24/7, an Application Load Balancer, and an Amazon RDS for MySQL db.t3.small database. The architect needs to estimate the monthly cost for the first year, considering different purchasing options (On-Demand, 1-year All Upfront Reserved Instance, and Compute Savings Plan). Which AWS tool should the architect use to create this estimate?
Question 3
A company's development team frequently needs temporary test environments. A developer can log into the AWS Management Console, select an Amazon EC2 instance type, configure storage, and launch the instance within minutes without any interaction with the IT infrastructure team. This capability is an example of which essential characteristic of cloud computing?
Question 4
A company's finance team needs to analyze AWS spending in detail. They require a report that includes hourly cost data for each AWS service, each individual resource (e.g., a specific EC2 instance), and any cost allocation tags applied. The team plans to export this data to an Amazon S3 bucket and then import it into a custom business intelligence (BI) analytics dashboard. Which AWS tool should the finance team use to generate this level of detailed cost data?
Question 5
A company uses AWS for its development environment. The finance team wants to set a monthly budget of $10,000. They want to receive an email notification when the actual costs reach 80% of the budget ($8,000) and again when costs exceed the budget. The team needs a managed AWS service that can automatically send these alerts without requiring custom code or third-party tools. Which AWS service should the team use?
Question 6
A company uses AWS Organizations to manage multiple accounts. The security team needs to enforce a policy that restricts SSH access (port 22) from the internet (0.0.0.0/0) in all VPCs across all accounts. The team wants to centrally define the allowed rules and automatically apply them to newly created VPCs and security groups, while also automatically remediating any existing non-compliant security groups. Which AWS service should the team use?
FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this CLF-C02 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway — AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway provides a hybrid storage solution that caches frequently accessed files locally on-premises while storing the primary data in Amazon S3. It supports SMB protocol for legacy file-sharing compatibility, offers low-latency access through the local cache, and is fully managed from the AWS Management Console. The other options either lack on-premises caching (FSx for Windows File Server, S3 with Direct Connect) or do not provide ongoing low-latency file access with caching (AWS DataSync is a data transfer service, not for recurring access).
What should I do if I get this CLF-C02 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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