PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
An SAP administrator needs to migrate an on-premises SAP ERP system to AWS. The current system runs on a single Windows Server with SQL Server and uses 2 TB of storage. The migration must minimize downtime and use native AWS tools. Which service should be used to replicate the on-premises server to AWS?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse AWS DMS as the go-to migration tool for any SQL Server workload, but DMS only handles the database layer, not the entire server including the SAP application and Windows OS, which SMS is specifically built for in server-level migrations.
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 Server Migration Service (SMS)
AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) is the correct choice because it is designed to automate the replication of on-premises live server volumes (including Windows Server with SQL Server) to AWS as Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), enabling incremental replication with minimal downtime. It uses agentless replication via the AWS Replication Agent or hypervisor-level integration, making it ideal for migrating the entire server, including the OS and SQL Server database, without requiring separate database-level tools.
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 CloudFormation
Why it's wrong here
CloudFormation provisions resources but does not replicate servers.
- ✗
AWS Snowball
Why it's wrong here
Snowball is for large data transfer, not real-time replication.
- ✗
AWS Database Migration Service (DMS)
Why it's wrong here
DMS handles database migration only, not the OS or application.
- ✓
AWS Server Migration Service (SMS)
Why this is correct
SMS replicates entire server volumes to AWS, minimizing downtime.
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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