A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application requires a shared file system that can be mounted by multiple Amazon EC2 instances concurrently. The EC2 instances run Amazon Linux and are deployed across multiple Availability Zones for high availability. The file system must grow and shrink automatically as files are added or removed, and the company wants to avoid provisioning storage capacity in advance. 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.
Distractor review
Amazon S3
Amazon S3 is an object storage service, not a file system. It cannot be directly mounted by EC2 instances as a POSIX-compliant file system shared across multiple instances.
Distractor review
Amazon EBS
Amazon EBS provides block storage volumes. A standard EBS volume can be attached to only one EC2 instance at a time, and multi-attach EBS is limited to certain instance types and requires a clustered file system. Additionally, EBS does not automatically scale capacity.
Best answer
Amazon EFS
Amazon EFS provides a fully managed, scalable NFS file system that can be mounted by multiple EC2 instances across different Availability Zones. It automatically scales storage capacity on demand and charges only for the storage used, meeting all the stated requirements.
Distractor review
Amazon FSx for Windows File Server
Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is a managed file system designed for Windows-based applications. The scenario specifies Linux instances, so Amazon EFS is the more appropriate and cost-effective choice.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
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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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon EFS — Amazon EFS is a fully managed, elastic NFS file system that can be mounted by many EC2 instances simultaneously across multiple Availability Zones. It automatically scales storage capacity up and down as files are added or removed, so there is no need to provision storage in advance. In contrast, Amazon S3 is an object storage service that is not mountable as a file system. Amazon EBS provides block storage that can only be attached to a single EC2 instance at a time (except for limited multi-attach scenarios requiring clustered file systems). Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is a managed file system for Windows workloads, whereas the scenario uses Linux instances, making EFS the best choice.
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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