PAS-C01 Migration Practice Question
A manufacturing company is planning to migrate a legacy inventory application from a data center to AWS. The application runs on Windows Server 2012 R2 and uses a SQL Server 2014 database. The application requires low-latency access to a shared file system for storing CAD drawings. The current on-premises environment uses a SAN-based storage array for the database and a Windows File Server for the CAD files. The company wants to minimize operational overhead and avoid refactoring the application. The migration must be completed within 3 months. The company has already established a Direct Connect connection between the data center and AWS. Which migration strategy should the company use?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose Amazon EFS or S3 File Gateway for file shares, but they fail to recognize that the legacy Windows application requires SMB protocol and Windows-native features, which only Amazon FSx for Windows File Server provides without refactoring or additional complexity.
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 (AWS MGN) to replicate the on-premises Windows server to an EC2 instance. Migrate the SQL Server database using native backup and restore. Use Amazon FSx for Windows File Server to replace the on-premises file server, and mount the file share via SMB.
It uses AWS Application Migration Service (AWS MGN) to lift-and-shift the Windows Server 2012 R2 instance without refactoring, native backup/restore for SQL Server 2014 to minimize complexity, and Amazon FSx for Windows File Server to provide a fully managed SMB file share with low-latency access for CAD drawings. This approach meets the 3-month timeline, avoids application refactoring, and reduces operational overhead by replacing the SAN and Windows File Server with managed AWS services.
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 App2Container to containerize the Windows application and deploy it on Amazon ECS. Migrate the database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. Use Amazon EFS for the CAD file share.
Why it's wrong here
Containerization requires refactoring, which the company wants to avoid; EFS is not natively compatible with Windows.
- ✗
Use AWS Database Migration Service (DMS) to migrate the SQL Server database to Amazon RDS for SQL Server. Use AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) to replicate the Windows server to an EC2 instance. Use AWS Storage Gateway file gateway to present the CAD files from Amazon S3.
Why it's wrong here
SMS is legacy and being phased out; Storage Gateway adds complexity and potential latency for CAD files.
- ✗
Use AWS Application Migration Service (AWS MGN) to replicate the Windows server to an EC2 instance. Migrate the SQL Server database using native backup and restore. Use Amazon S3 with a VPC endpoint for the CAD file share, and mount S3 as a network drive using an S3 file gateway.
Why it's wrong here
S3 is not a traditional file share and may introduce latency or compatibility issues; using a file gateway adds complexity.
- ✓
Use AWS Application Migration Service (AWS MGN) to replicate the on-premises Windows server to an EC2 instance. Migrate the SQL Server database using native backup and restore. Use Amazon FSx for Windows File Server to replace the on-premises file server, and mount the file share via SMB.
Why this is correct
This minimizes refactoring, uses a managed file service, and supports SMB protocol required by the application.
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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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.