SAP-C02 AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) Practice Question
A company is planning to modernize a legacy Java application that runs on a single on-premises server. The application uses a proprietary file-based storage system. The company wants to migrate to AWS with the following goals: reduce operational overhead, improve availability, and minimize code changes. Which TWO strategies should the company use? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume that any managed storage can replace file-based storage without code changes. However, Amazon EFS is a drop-in NFS replacement, while RDS requires application modifications.
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 Application Migration Service (MGN) to migrate the application server to Amazon EC2
AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) enables lift-and-shift of the application server to Amazon EC2 with minimal code changes, reducing operational overhead. Amazon EFS provides a managed NFS file system that can replace the proprietary file-based storage without code modifications, improving availability. Option D (RDS) is incorrect because migrating file-based data to a relational database would require significant application changes, contradicting the goal of minimizing code changes.
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 Application Migration Service (MGN) to migrate the application server to Amazon EC2
Why this is correct
AWS Application Migration Service replicates the on-premises server block-level and launches it on Amazon EC2, so the Java application runs without modification. This lifts operational overhead to AWS and enables multi-AZ resilience while minimising code changes.
- ✓
Use Amazon EFS to replace the proprietary file-based storage
Why this is correct
Amazon EFS provides a managed, multi-AZ NFS file system that the Java application can mount unchanged, replacing the proprietary file store. This removes server and storage operations overhead and improves availability while requiring no code changes.
- ✗
Migrate the proprietary storage to Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
Migrating the proprietary file-based storage to Amazon S3 requires rewriting the application's storage access layer, breaching the minimal-code-change goal. It is tempting because S3 delivers durability and availability, but that suits applications already using S3-compatible APIs or object storage, not proprietary file semantics.
- ✗
Migrate the proprietary storage to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL
Why it's wrong here
Migrating proprietary file-based storage to Amazon RDS for PostgreSQL is not a valid strategy because it requires rewriting the application to use JDBC/SQL, contradicting the goal of minimizing code changes. Additionally, file-based storage is not suited for relational databases.
- ✗
Refactor the application into microservices and deploy on Amazon EKS
Why it's wrong here
Refactoring into microservices on Amazon EKS rewrites the application, violating the minimal-code-change goal and adding Kubernetes operational overhead. It is tempting when availability and scaling are priorities, but that scenario assumes a greenfield or already containerised workload, not a legacy monolith.
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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