PAS-C01 Technology Practice Question
An SAP system on AWS uses a shared file system (e.g., /sapmnt) that must be accessible from multiple EC2 instances. Which storage solution provides the highest availability and scalability?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose EBS with multi-attach because it seems to allow shared access, but they overlook its single-AZ limitation and the 16-instance cap, which fails the high-availability and scalability requirements for SAP.
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
✓
Amazon EFS
Amazon EFS provides a fully managed, NFS-based shared file system that is accessible from multiple EC2 instances across Availability Zones, offering high availability and automatic scalability. For SAP /sapmnt, EFS supports the required POSIX permissions and concurrent access patterns without single points of failure, unlike block storage or gateway solutions.
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 EFS
Why this is correct
EFS provides a scalable NFS file system with automatic replication across AZs, ideal for /sapmnt.
- ✗
Amazon S3 with S3 File Gateway
Why it's wrong here
S3 is object storage and does not fully support POSIX semantics needed by SAP.
- ✗
AWS Storage Gateway file gateway
Why it's wrong here
File gateway provides NFS but is not as fully managed or scalable as EFS for this use case.
- ✗
Amazon EBS with multi-attach enabled
Why it's wrong here
EBS multi-attach is limited to io1/io2 volumes and up to 16 instances, and does not provide automatic scalability.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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