SAA-C03 question

Question

Hi AWS,

There is a question from one of the mock tests I was giving and this is the question:

A media company is evaluating the possibility of moving its systems to the AWS Cloud. The company needs at least 10 TB of storage with the maximum possible I/O performance for video processing, 300 TB of very durable storage for storing media content, and 900 TB of storage to meet requirements for archival media that is not in use anymore.
Which set of services should a solutions architect recommend to meet these requirements?

1.  Amazon EBS for maximum performance, Amazon S3 for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage. 
2. Amazon EBS for maximum performance, Amazon EFS for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage. 
3. Amazon EC2 instance store for maximum performance, Amazon EFS for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 for archival storage.
4. Amazon EC2 instance store for maximum performance, Amazon S3 for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage.

I have selected (D), but it was (A) as per the answer sheet.

Can you please tell why A is selected over D.

Accepted Answer

It's a badly-written question.

You would never offer up option D as a solution, the risks of losing 10TB of data in the event of an instance failure is just too great, and option A using EBS is obviously the sensible choice in a real-world scenario.

However the question is written purely in terms of performance and doesn't mention durability and persistence. As you have to answer the question that is written on the page (or on the screen) and not the question that you think they meant to ask, then D is correct.

It would be worth going back to the company that you purchased the mock exam from, and asking them to justify why they say A and not D, especially given they chose the words of the question.

Answer

Based on the requirements provided, the services that I choose as a solutions architect is:

A. Amazon EBS for maximum performance, Amazon S3 for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage.

Here's an explanation of why my choice is suitable for the given requirements:

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) for maximum performance: Amazon EBS provides block-level storage volumes that can be attached to Amazon EC2 instances. It offers high-performance storage optimized for I/O-intensive workloads like video processing. With Amazon EBS, the media company can achieve the maximum possible I/O performance required for video processing tasks.

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) for durable data storage: Amazon S3 is an object storage service that provides highly durable and scalable storage for storing media content. It is designed to store and retrieve large amounts of data with high availability. The media company can utilize Amazon S3's durability and scalability to store the 300 TB of media content securely.

Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage: Amazon S3 Glacier is a low-cost archival storage service for long-term data retention. It is suitable for storing archival media that is not actively used but needs to be retained for compliance or future reference. The media company can utilize Amazon S3 Glacier's cost-effective storage to meet the requirement of 900 TB of archival media storage.

So, option A is the most appropriate

Answer

Hi @Arjun, Good Day!!  
Please bear with me for my lengthy explanation. Let's review the options we have in the given question and clarify the difference between Amazon EBS and Amazon EC2 instance store when it comes to maximum performance for video processing.

Option A: Amazon EBS for maximum performance, Amazon S3 for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage.

Option D: Amazon EC2 instance store for maximum performance, Amazon S3 for durable data storage, and Amazon S3 Glacier for archival storage.

In both options, Amazon S3 and Amazon S3 Glacier are chosen for durable data storage and archival storage respectively, this aligns with the requirements. So no doubts here.

The difference lies in the choice between Amazon EBS and Amazon EC2 instance store for maximum performance.

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) is a network-attached block storage solution that provides persistent storage volumes that can be attached to Amazon EC2 instances. It allows you to create highly available and reliable storage for your EC2 instances, and it offers features such as snapshots and encryption. However, Amazon EBS is not directly attached to the EC2 instance; it is network-based storage.

On the other hand, the Amazon EC2 instance store provides temporary block-level storage that is physically attached to the host computer of an EC2 instance. It offers high-speed, low-latency storage that is ideal for certain use cases, particularly when you require maximum performance and local storage that is tightly coupled with the EC2 instance. However, it is important to note that instance store volumes are not persistent and are lost if the instance is stopped or terminated.

In the context of the given requirements for a media company's video processing workload, the maximum performance requirement can be met by leveraging the high-performance capabilities of Amazon EBS. While the EC2 instance store does offer maximum performance, it is designed for temporary storage and does not provide the durability and persistence needed for video processing.

Here's a simple example for better understanding: Think of Amazon EBS as a reliable external hard drive that you can attach to your computer, while the EC2 instance store is more like a super-fast, but temporary, scratch disk that is available only while your computer is powered on.

Therefore, in this scenario, Amazon EBS is the recommended choice for maximum performance as it provides durability and persistence along with the required performance for video processing.

I hope this explanation clarifies the difference and helps you understand why Amazon EBS is the suitable option for maximum performance in this case. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask.

Have a good day!

SAA-C03 question

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