The answer is Amazon EFS with IAM authorization. This is the correct choice because Amazon EFS provides a fully managed, shared NFS file system that is inherently accessible from multiple EC2 instances across different Availability Zones, offering the high durability and low latency required for the migration. EFS also uniquely supports IAM policies for fine-grained access control, allowing you to manage permissions at the file system level without needing separate authentication mechanisms. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between shared file services and block or object storage; the common trap is selecting EBS, which is zone-scoped and single-instance, or FSx for Lustre, which is optimized for HPC rather than general NFS workloads. Remember the memory tip: “EFS is Elastic File Sharing” — it spans AZs and honors IAM, while EBS is bound to a single zone and instance.
SAP-C02 Design for New Solutions Practice Question
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of design for new solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application requires a shared file system that supports the NFS protocol and must be accessible from multiple EC2 instances across different Availability Zones. The file system must provide high durability and low latency. The company also needs to control access to the file system using IAM policies. The solutions architect needs to choose the appropriate AWS storage service. Which service should the architect use?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon EFS with IAM authorization.
Amazon EFS is a fully managed NFS file system that is accessible across AZs, supports IAM policies for access control, and provides high durability and low latency. Option C is correct. Option A is wrong because EBS volumes can only be attached to a single instance in one AZ. Option B is wrong because S3 is object storage, not a file system. Option D is wrong because FSx for Lustre is designed for high-performance computing, not general NFS.
Key principle: Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
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 S3 with S3 File Gateway to present as a file system.
Why it's wrong here
S3 File Gateway introduces latency and complexity; IAM policies are not directly applied to the file system.
✗
Amazon EBS with a Provisioned IOPS volume type, mounted on multiple instances using a cluster file system.
Why it's wrong here
EBS cannot be attached to multiple instances in different AZs.
✓
Amazon EFS with IAM authorization.
Why this is correct
EFS provides NFS access across AZs and supports IAM policies for access control.
Related concept
Authentication checks who the user is.
✗
Amazon FSx for Lustre with a persistent deployment type.
Why it's wrong here
FSx for Lustre is optimized for HPC, not general NFS shared file system.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: authentication is not authorization
Logging in proves the user can authenticate. It does not automatically mean the user is allowed to enter privileged or configuration mode. Watch for AAA authorization, privilege level and command authorization details.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This kind of question is testing the difference between identity and permission. A user may successfully log in to a router because authentication is working, but still fail to enter configuration mode because authorization is missing, misconfigured or mapped to a lower privilege level.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Authentication checks who the user is.
Authorization controls what the user is allowed to do after login.
Privilege levels affect access to EXEC and configuration commands.
AAA, TACACS+ and RADIUS can separate login success from command access.
TExam Day Tips
→Do not assume successful login means full administrative access.
→Look for words such as cannot enter configuration mode, privilege level, authorization or command access.
→Separate login problems from permission problems before choosing the answer.
Key takeaway
Authentication proves identity; authorization controls what that identity can do after login. Both must work for full privileged access.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related SAP-C02 questions on access control and AAA configuration.
Design for New Solutions — This question tests Design for New Solutions — Authentication checks who the user is..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon EFS with IAM authorization. — Amazon EFS is a fully managed NFS file system that is accessible across AZs, supports IAM policies for access control, and provides high durability and low latency. Option C is correct. Option A is wrong because EBS volumes can only be attached to a single instance in one AZ. Option B is wrong because S3 is object storage, not a file system. Option D is wrong because FSx for Lustre is designed for high-performance computing, not general NFS.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Review Cisco AAA concepts — authentication, authorization, and accounting. Study privilege levels (0–15), command authorization under TACACS+, and how RADIUS differs. Then practise related SAP-C02 questions on access control and AAA configuration.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Authentication checks who the user is.
About these practice questions
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These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. A company is migrating a legacy on-premises application to AWS. The application requires a shared file system that can be mounted by multiple EC2 instances concurrently, with strong consistency and low-latency access. Which AWS storage solution should be used?
hard
A.AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway
✓ B.Amazon EFS
C.Amazon EBS with multi-attach enabled
D.Amazon S3
Why B: Option B is correct because Amazon EFS provides a fully managed NFS file system that can be mounted by multiple EC2 instances concurrently with strong consistency. Option A is wrong because EBS volumes can only be attached to one instance at a time. Option C is wrong because S3 is object storage, not a file system. Option D is wrong because Storage Gateway file gateway provides file access to S3 but adds latency and consistency trade-offs.
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This SAP-C02 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 SAP-C02 exam.
Question Discussion
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