PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
A company needs to migrate a large amount of on-premises data to Amazon S3. The data is stored on tape backups. The migration must be completed within 2 weeks. Which AWS service should they use?
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
✓
AWS Snowball Edge
AWS Snowball Edge is a physical device designed for large-scale data transfers when network bandwidth is limited or transfer time is critical. For migrating petabytes of tape backup data to Amazon S3 within 2 weeks, Snowball Edge provides a cost-effective and fast solution by shipping physical storage devices. Option A (AWS DataSync) is an online data transfer service, but for large tape backups, the transfer may take longer than 2 weeks over typical internet connections. Option B (AWS Database Migration Service) is specifically for migrating databases, not tape file data. Option D (AWS Storage Gateway) provides hybrid cloud storage but is not optimized for bulk one-time migration of tape archives.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
AWS DataSync
Why it's wrong here
DataSync is online; may not meet 2-week deadline for large tape data.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service
Why it's wrong here
DMS is for databases, not file/tape data.
- ✓
AWS Snowball Edge
Why this is correct
Snowball Edge can physically ship devices to transfer large data quickly.
- ✗
AWS Storage Gateway
Why it's wrong here
Storage Gateway is for hybrid cloud storage, not for one-time bulk migration.
Visual reference
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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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PAS-C01 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 PAS-C01 exam.