SAA-C03 Design High-Performing Architectures Practice Question
A solutions architect is designing a high-performance computing (HPC) workload that requires a shared file system with high throughput and low latency for thousands of compute instances. The workload also requires a caching layer to accelerate repeated reads of the same data. Which two AWS services should be combined to meet these requirements? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is assuming that any shared storage service can handle HPC scale; services like EBS Multi-Attach or Storage Gateway are not designed for thousands of instances or low-latency HPC.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon FSx for Lustre
Amazon FSx for Lustre provides the high-performance shared file system needed for HPC, with low latency and high throughput. Amazon ElastiCache for Redis adds an in-memory caching layer to accelerate repeated reads, reducing load on the file system. Together, they meet the requirements for a scalable, high-performance HPC storage and caching solution. Other options either have high latency (Glacier), are for hybrid scenarios (File Gateway), or lack the necessary scalability (EBS Multi-Attach).
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Amazon FSx for Lustre
Why this is correct
Amazon FSx for Lustre is a high-performance file system optimized for HPC workloads. It provides sub-millisecond latencies, millions of IOPS, and hundreds of gigabytes per second of throughput. It integrates natively with Amazon S3, allowing data to be lazily loaded from S3 and written back. FSx for Lustre is designed for compute-intensive workloads and can be linked to an S3 bucket as a data repository. This makes it ideal for the shared file system requirement.
- ✓
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis
Why this is correct
Amazon ElastiCache for Redis provides an in-memory caching layer that can accelerate repeated reads by storing frequently accessed data in memory. It offers sub-millisecond latency and high throughput, making it suitable for HPC workloads that need to cache intermediate results or frequently accessed datasets. While not a file system itself, it can be used alongside FSx for Lustre to cache hot data and reduce load on the file system, improving overall performance.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Glacier
Why it's wrong here
Amazon S3 Glacier is an archival storage service designed for long-term backup and compliance, not for high-performance computing. Retrieval times range from minutes to hours, which is incompatible with low-latency, high-throughput requirements. It cannot serve as a shared file system for active compute instances. While S3 can be a data repository for FSx for Lustre, Glacier's retrieval latency makes it unsuitable for this workload.
- ✗
Amazon EBS Multi-Attach enabled io1 volumes
Why it's wrong here
Amazon EBS Multi-Attach allows a single io1/io2 volume to be attached to multiple EC2 instances in the same Availability Zone, but it is limited to a small number of instances and does not provide a shared file system. It requires a cluster-aware file system and is not suitable for thousands of instances. EBS volumes are also Availability Zone-scoped, limiting scalability. This option does not meet the shared file system or high-throughput requirements.
- ✗
AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway
Why it's wrong here
AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway provides a file interface to Amazon S3 for on-premises applications, but it is not designed for high-performance, low-latency access from thousands of EC2 instances. It introduces network latency and is primarily for hybrid cloud scenarios. It does not offer the throughput or IOPS required for HPC. Using it as a shared file system for HPC would create a performance bottleneck.
Quick reference
AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison
| Storage Class | Min Duration | Retrieval | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| S3 Standard | None | Immediate | Frequently accessed data |
| S3 Standard-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Infrequent access, rapid retrieval |
| S3 One Zone-IA | 30 days | Immediate | Non-critical infrequent data |
| S3 Intelligent-Tiering | None | Immediate–hours | Unknown or changing access patterns |
| S3 Glacier Instant | 90 days | Milliseconds | Archive with instant retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Flexible | 90 days | Minutes–hours | Archive, flexible retrieval |
| S3 Glacier Deep Archive | 180 days | Hours | Long-term compliance archive |
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Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Amazon Web Services exam blueprint
This SAA-C03 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Amazon Web Services certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the SAA-C03 exam.