CV0-004 Deployment Practice Question
A company needs to migrate a 100 TB on-premises file server to AWS S3. The migration must be completed within two weeks. The network bandwidth is limited to 1 Gbps. Which TWO services should be combined to accomplish this migration within the timeframe? (Select TWO.)
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose only Snowball Edge, forgetting that a second service is required to complete the migration within the timeframe. They may overlook DataSync as the companion service for data synchronization and automation, or mistakenly believe that Transfer Acceleration or Direct Connect alone can accelerate the transfer sufficiently.
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 DataSync
(AWS Snowball Edge) is correct because it provides a physical storage device that can transfer 100 TB of data offline, bypassing the 1 Gbps bandwidth limitation. With 1 Gbps, the theoretical maximum transfer over the network would be approximately 10.8 TB per day, requiring over 9 days for 100 TB under ideal conditions, but real-world factors like protocol overhead and contention make two weeks infeasible. Snowball Edge can handle up to 80 TB per device, so two devices can complete the initial bulk migration well within the two-week window. Option B (AWS DataSync) is also correct because it can be used to automate the transfer of data from on-premises to the Snowball Edge device, and later to sync any incremental changes after the initial load, ensuring data consistency and reducing manual effort. Together, Snowball Edge handles the bulk offline transfer, while DataSync manages the final sync and ongoing replication, meeting the two-week deadline.
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 Server Migration Service (SMS)
Why it's wrong here
AWS Server Migration Service (SMS) is designed for migrating virtual machines and does not transfer file-level data to S3 efficiently. It is not suitable for large file server migrations.
- ✓
AWS DataSync
Why this is correct
AWS DataSync is correct because it can automate and accelerate the transfer of data from on-premises to Snowball Edge and later sync changes, making it an essential companion to Snowball Edge for completing the migration within the timeframe.
- ✗
AWS Direct Connect
Why it's wrong here
AWS Direct Connect provides a dedicated network connection but still uses the 1 Gbps bandwidth. It does not bypass bandwidth limitations sufficiently for a 100 TB transfer in two weeks.
- ✓
AWS Snowball Edge
Why this is correct
AWS Snowball Edge is correct because it provides a physical storage device for offline transfer, bypassing bandwidth constraints and enabling bulk migration of 100 TB within two weeks.
- ✗
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration
Why it's wrong here
Amazon S3 Transfer Acceleration uses CloudFront edge locations to speed up transfers over the internet, but it is still limited by the 1 Gbps upstream bandwidth and cannot transfer 100 TB within two weeks reliably.
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 CV0-004 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA 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 CV0-004 exam.