Quick Answer
The answer is Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. This is the correct choice because Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI) requires a shared file system that supports both NFS and SMB protocols for clusterware and Oracle RAC, and Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP delivers a fully managed, highly available shared storage solution that can present a single namespace across multiple Availability Zones, meeting the strict shared-storage architecture demands of Oracle GI. On the AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 exam, this question tests your ability to distinguish between AWS storage services for Oracle RAC on SAP, with a common trap being Amazon EFS or EBS—EFS lacks the SMB protocol support needed for some GI components, while EBS cannot be shared across instances natively. Remember the memory tip: “ONTAP for Oracle RAC” ties the ONTAP file system directly to Oracle’s shared-storage requirement.
This PAS-C01 practice question tests your understanding of design of sap workloads on aws. 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 planning to run SAP Business Suite on AWS with an Oracle database. The database requires a shared file system for Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI). Which AWS storage service should be used?
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS).
Why wrong: EFS may not support all Oracle GI locking mechanisms.
Amazon S3 with a file gateway.
Why wrong: Not suitable for Oracle GI shared file system.
Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP.
Supports NFS with features required by Oracle GI.
Multiple Amazon EBS volumes with a cluster-aware file system.
Why wrong: EBS volumes cannot be shared across instances.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP.
Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP provides a fully managed, shared file system that supports the NFS and SMB protocols required by Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI) for clusterware and Oracle RAC. It offers high availability, consistent performance, and the ability to present a single namespace across multiple Availability Zones, which is essential for Oracle GI's shared-storage architecture.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
Amazon Elastic File System (EFS).
Why it's wrong here
EFS may not support all Oracle GI locking mechanisms.
Amazon S3 with a file gateway.
Why it's wrong here
Not suitable for Oracle GI shared file system.
Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP.
Why this is correct
Supports NFS with features required by Oracle GI.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Multiple Amazon EBS volumes with a cluster-aware file system.
Why it's wrong here
EBS volumes cannot be shared across instances.
Common exam traps
The trap here is that candidates often assume Amazon EFS is sufficient for any shared file system need, but Oracle Grid Infrastructure requires specific cluster-aware features (like SCSI-3 persistent reservations and support for Oracle ASM) that only FSx for NetApp ONTAP provides among the listed options.
Detailed technical explanation
Oracle Grid Infrastructure relies on shared storage for the voting disk and OCR (Oracle Cluster Registry), which require consistent read-after-write semantics and support for SCSI-3 persistent reservations for fencing. Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP uses the NetApp ONTAP file system, which provides these capabilities via NFS v3/v4.1 with Kerberos authentication and supports the required locking mechanisms, making it a validated solution for Oracle RAC on AWS. In contrast, EFS does not support SCSI-3 persistent reservations, and EBS volumes cannot be attached to multiple EC2 instances in a cluster without a third-party cluster file system, which adds operational overhead.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
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
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
All PAS-C01 questions
1,733 questions across all exam domains
AWS Certified SAP on AWS Specialty PAS-C01 study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
PAS-C01 practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Design of SAP Workloads on AWS.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Technology.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Migration.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to Operations and Maintenance.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 fundamentals.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 scenario.
Practise PAS-C01 questions linked to PAS-C01 troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
FAQ
Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — This question tests Design of SAP Workloads on AWS — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP. — Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP provides a fully managed, shared file system that supports the NFS and SMB protocols required by Oracle Grid Infrastructure (GI) for clusterware and Oracle RAC. It offers high availability, consistent performance, and the ability to present a single namespace across multiple Availability Zones, which is essential for Oracle GI's shared-storage architecture.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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 →
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.