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A media streaming company needs to store petabytes of video content that is frequently accessed for the first 30 days after upload, then rarely accessed for archival purposes, but must be retrieved within minutes if requested. The company wants to optimize storage costs while meeting these access patterns. Which Google Cloud Storage class or combination of classes should they use?
- ANearline storage for the first 30 days, then migrate to Archive storage.
- BColdline storage for all data.
- CStandard storage for all data.
- DStandard storage for the first 30 days, then migrate to Coldline storage.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Standard storage for the first 30 days, then migrate to Coldline storage.
Standard storage is ideal for frequently accessed data (first 30 days). Coldline storage is cost-effective for data accessed less than once a month but with retrieval in minutes, fitting the archival needs after the initial high-access period. Archive storage has higher retrieval latency.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Nearline has a minimum storage duration of 30 days, but Coldline has better cost/performance for data accessed less than once a month with minute-level retrieval. Archive storage retrieval time is typically hours, not minutes.
- B. Coldline storage for all data would incur unnecessary retrieval costs and potentially higher latency for the frequently accessed initial 30 days.
- C. Standard storage for all data would be too expensive for rarely accessed archival data.
Cloud Storage Classes
Google Cloud Storage offers various storage classes (Standard, Nearline, Coldline, Archive) to optimize cost and performance based on data access frequency and retrieval time requirements.
- Standard: Frequent access, lowest retrieval cost.
- Nearline: Approx. once a month access, 30-day minimum, seconds-level retrieval.
- Coldline: Less than once a month access, 90-day minimum, minutes-level retrieval.
- Archive: Less than once a year access, 365-day minimum, hours-level retrieval.
Memory trick: Hot videos go Standard, cool videos go Coldline, forgotten videos go Archive.