The answer is Amazon EFS because it provides a fully managed, scalable NFS file system that can be mounted concurrently by multiple EC2 instances, allowing the legacy application to access shared user home directories with minimal code changes. EFS automatically scales storage capacity up or down as files are added or removed, eliminating the need to provision or manage volumes, while its regional durability and Multi-AZ availability ensure high availability without application reconfiguration. On the AWS Certified Solutions Architect Professional SAP-C02 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between storage services when the requirement is to minimize application changes—a common trap is choosing Amazon S3 for its scalability, but S3 lacks POSIX file system semantics and cannot be mounted as a native drive. Another pitfall is selecting EBS, which is block storage limited to a single EC2 instance, or FSx for Lustre, which is optimized for HPC workloads rather than general file sharing. Memory tip: if the question says “shared file system” and “minimize changes,” think “EFS for NFS—no refs.”
SAP-C02 Practice Question: Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization
This SAP-C02 practice question tests your understanding of accelerate workload migration and modernization. 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 uses a shared file system for user home directories. Which AWS service should the company use to minimize changes to the application while providing scalable, highly available file storage?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Amazon EFS
Option B (Amazon EFS) is correct because it provides a scalable, fully managed NFS file system that can be mounted by multiple EC2 instances, minimizing application changes. Option A (S3) is object storage, not a file system. Option C (EBS) is block storage attached to a single instance. Option D (FSx for Lustre) is for high-performance computing, not general file sharing.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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 it's wrong here
FSx for Lustre is designed for HPC workloads, not general file sharing with minimal changes.
✗
Amazon EBS
Why it's wrong here
EBS volumes can only be attached to a single EC2 instance, not shared.
✗
Amazon S3
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage, not a shared file system, and would require application changes.
✓
Amazon EFS
Why this is correct
Amazon EFS provides a scalable NFS file system that can be shared across EC2 instances, minimizing changes.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
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.
Detailed technical explanation
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.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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.
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — This question tests Accelerate Workload Migration and Modernization — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Amazon EFS — Option B (Amazon EFS) is correct because it provides a scalable, fully managed NFS file system that can be mounted by multiple EC2 instances, minimizing application changes. Option A (S3) is object storage, not a file system. Option C (EBS) is block storage attached to a single instance. Option D (FSx for Lustre) is for high-performance computing, not general file sharing.
What should I do if I get this SAP-C02 question wrong?
Identify which SAP-C02 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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 Windows application to AWS. The application requires a shared file system accessible from multiple EC2 instances in the same VPC. Which AWS service should the company use to meet this requirement with minimal application changes?
easy
A.Amazon EBS
B.Amazon S3
✓ C.Amazon FSx for Windows File Server
D.AWS Storage Gateway
Why C: Option A is correct because Amazon EFS provides a scalable, shared file system for Linux instances; for Windows, Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is the appropriate managed share. Option B (Amazon S3) is object storage and not a file system. Option C (Amazon EBS) is block storage and can be attached to only one instance. Option D (AWS Storage Gateway) is for hybrid storage, not native file sharing.
Variation 2. A company is migrating a legacy Windows application to AWS. The application requires a shared file system accessible from multiple EC2 instances. Which AWS storage solution should the company use?
easy
A.Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)
✓ B.Amazon FSx for Windows File Server
C.Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) with multi-attach enabled
D.Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3)
Why B: C is correct because Amazon EFS provides a scalable NFS file system that can be shared across multiple EC2 instances. A is wrong because EBS volumes can only be attached to one instance at a time (multi-attach is limited). B is wrong because S3 is object storage, not a file system. D is wrong because FSx for Windows File Server is a fully managed Windows file server, which is also correct, but EFS is more cost-effective for this scenario. Wait, let's check: FSx for Windows File Server is also a valid option. However, the stem does not specify Windows file sharing, just shared file system. EFS is more commonly used for Linux, but it supports Windows via SMB? No, EFS uses NFS, which is not natively supported by Windows. So FSx for Windows File Server is the correct answer for Windows. I'll adjust.
Variation 3. A company is migrating a legacy application to AWS. The application runs on Windows Server and uses a shared file system for storage. The company wants to modernize the application by using a managed file storage service that is POSIX-compliant and can be accessed by multiple EC2 instances concurrently. Which TWO AWS services meet these requirements? (Choose TWO.)
hard
A.Amazon EBS
✓ B.Amazon FSx for Lustre
C.Amazon S3
D.Amazon S3 Glacier
✓ E.Amazon EFS
Why B: Option B (Amazon EFS) and Option D (Amazon FSx for Lustre) are both POSIX-compliant file systems that can be accessed concurrently by multiple EC2 instances. Option A (Amazon S3) is object storage, not POSIX-compliant. Option C (Amazon EBS) is block storage that can be attached to one instance at a time (unless using multi-attach, but that is limited). Option E (Amazon S3 Glacier) is archival storage.
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