SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
A company is migrating its on-premises file server to AWS. The file server contains 50 TB of data stored on a Windows Server with NTFS permissions. The company needs to maintain the folder structure and permissions after migration. The migration must be completed within one week. The company has a 100 Mbps internet connection. Which approach should the solutions architect recommend?
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
✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer data to an S3 bucket, then use AWS DataSync to copy to Amazon FSx for Windows File Server.
Given the large data size (50 TB) and limited bandwidth (100 Mbps), transferring over the internet would take approximately 46 days, exceeding the one-week window. AWS Snowball Edge provides a physical data transport solution that bypasses bandwidth constraints. After transferring data to an S3 bucket via Snowball Edge, AWS DataSync can be used to copy the data to Amazon FSx for Windows File Server, preserving folder structure and NTFS permissions. Option A (Storage Gateway File Gateway) still requires initial network transfer, which is too slow. Option C (DataSync directly to EFS) would also be too slow over the internet and EFS does not support NTFS ACLs. Option D (CLI to S3 and mount) loses permissions and is also bandwidth-limited.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use AWS Storage Gateway File Gateway to cache data on-premises and sync to S3.
Why it's wrong here
Initial sync still limited by network.
- ✓
Use AWS Snowball Edge to transfer data to an S3 bucket, then use AWS DataSync to copy to Amazon FSx for Windows File Server.
Why this is correct
Offline transfer bypasses bandwidth; FSx preserves Windows permissions.
- ✗
Use AWS DataSync to transfer data directly to Amazon EFS over the internet.
Why it's wrong here
Network bandwidth is insufficient for 50 TB in one week.
- ✗
Use AWS CLI to copy data directly to an S3 bucket, then mount S3 as a file system.
Why it's wrong here
Cannot preserve NTFS permissions on S3.
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 |
Go deeper
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.