AWS Certified Solutions Architect – ProfessionalAccelerate Workload Migration and ModernizationEasy
A research institution has a large dataset (hundreds of terabytes) stored on-premises that needs to be transferred to Amazon S3 for long-term archiving and occasional analysis. The institution has a 1 Gbps internet connection, but transferring over this connection would take too long and consume excessive bandwidth. The data is not actively changing and can tolerate some latency in the initial transfer. What is the most cost-effective and efficient solution for this one-time bulk transfer?
- AAWS Direct Connect to create a dedicated network link to S3.
- BAWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized to transfer data to S3.
- CManually copy files using SFTP to an EC2 instance, then to S3.
- DAWS DataSync to transfer data over the existing 1 Gbps internet connection.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized to transfer data to S3.
For hundreds of terabytes and a desire to avoid consuming existing network bandwidth, AWS Snowball Edge Storage Optimized is the most cost-effective and efficient solution for a one-time bulk transfer. It physically ships data to AWS, bypassing network constraints.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Direct Connect is good for ongoing connectivity and large transfers, but for a one-time bulk transfer of hundreds of TB, it might be overkill and more expensive than Snowball Edge.
- C. Manually copying via SFTP to an EC2 instance would be extremely slow, inefficient, and difficult to manage for hundreds of terabytes, and still limited by the 1 Gbps connection.
- D. AWS DataSync would still rely on the 1 Gbps internet connection, which is deemed too slow and bandwidth-consuming for hundreds of terabytes.
AWS Snowball Edge
A physical device from the AWS Snow Family that allows customers to transfer large amounts of data to and from AWS, or to perform edge computing workloads.
- Comes in Storage Optimized and Compute Optimized versions.
- Ideal for data transfers from tens of terabytes to petabytes.
- Provides secure data transfer using 256-bit encryption and tamper-evident enclosures.
Memory trick: Network for the fast, Snow for the vast.