Google ACE Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution Practice Question

An engineer is using gsutil to upload a large number of files to a Cloud Storage bucket. The upload is proceeding very slowly. Which two actions could improve the upload performance? (Choose two.)

⚠ Common exam trap

ACE often tests the specific gsutil flags that improve performance, and candidates may confuse retry settings or storage classes with performance optimizations.

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 the gsutil -m option to enable parallel multi-threading.

Option A is correct because gsutil -m enables parallel multi-threaded/multi-processing transfers, which lets many files upload concurrently and dramatically improves throughput when uploading a large number of files. Option D is correct because enabling parallel composite uploads (by setting the threshold below the file size, e.g., gsutil -o GSUtil:parallel_composite_upload_threshold=150M) splits large files into chunks uploaded in parallel and then composed server-side, speeding up large-file uploads. Option B is incorrect because Boto:num_retries only controls how many times failed requests are retried; it does not increase throughput and can even slow things down. Option C is incorrect because storage class affects pricing, availability, and access characteristics, not upload speed. Option E is incorrect because ACLs govern access permissions and have no effect on write performance.

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 the gsutil -m option to enable parallel multi-threading.
Why this is correct
The -m flag enables gsutil's multithreaded, parallel execution mode, so many objects upload concurrently instead of sequentially. This directly addresses the stem's slow bulk upload by saturating available bandwidth across multiple threads rather than processing one file at a time.
✗
Increase the number of retries using gsutil -o Boto:num_retries=10.
Why it's wrong here
Retries only re-attempt failed requests; they add latency rather than throughput, so a slow-but-successful upload gains nothing. It is tempting because retry tuning is a genuine gsutil performance lever, and would be correct if the stem described intermittent failures or timeouts instead of uniformly slow transfers.
✗
Change the storage class of the bucket to Standard.
Why it's wrong here
Storage class governs pricing and retrieval characteristics, not transfer throughput; Standard is already the default for new buckets, so changing it alters nothing about upload speed. It is tempting because class changes are a common bucket-level operation, and would be the right answer if the question concerned access frequency or cost optimisation.
✓
Set the parallel composite upload threshold to a value less than the size of the files being uploaded.
Why this is correct
Parallel composite upload splits each large file into chunks uploaded simultaneously, then composes them server-side. Setting the threshold below the file size activates this path, so a single large object transfers in parallel rather than as one serial stream, raising throughput.
✗
Set a custom ACL on the bucket to allow faster writes.
Why it's wrong here
ACLs control who may read or write objects; they do not affect transfer throughput, and no ACL setting accelerates writes. It is tempting because permissions problems do stall uploads, so an ACL fix would be correct if the stem described access-denied errors rather than slow transfers.

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

Google ACE Deploying and Implementing a Cloud Solution Practice Question

Why each option matters

Option-by-option breakdown

AWS S3 Storage Class Comparison

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