Which AWS Tool Discovers On-Premises Usage Before Migration?
A company is planning to migrate to the AWS Cloud. The company needs to understand the existing on-premises usage and configuration. The company does not want to replicate its workloads to AWS, yet. Which AWS service or tool will meet these requirements?
Community Votes
100% of anonymous learners picked answer A. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Community Insight
The exam tests whether you can separate the migration-assessment phase (discovery) from the migration-execution phase (replication and cutover); the trap is picking AWS Application Migration Service because the question mentions migrating.
AWS Application Discovery Service is the tool that inventories on-premises servers, their configuration, utilization, and network dependencies so a migration can be planned. This page confirms why it satisfies the requirement to assess the existing environment without replicating any workloads to AWS yet.
Choosing AWS Application Migration Service (B) because the scenario says "migrate" — but that service replicates live servers and performs the cutover, which the company explicitly wants to postpone.
Community Discussion (3 comments)
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Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
AWS Application Discovery Service is purpose-built for the assessment phase of a migration: it collects server inventory, configuration details, resource utilization, and network/application dependency data from the on-premises data center. That output is exactly what the company needs to "understand the existing on-premises usage and configuration" and to right-size and group servers before any move. Crucially, discovery is read-only from the workload's perspective — nothing is replicated, staged, or cut over to AWS, which matches the constraint that workloads must not be replicated yet. Discovery data also feeds AWS Migration Hub and Migration Evaluator-style planning so the later migration wave is based on real data rather than assumptions. All three commenters converged on this option for precisely that reason.Why the Other Options Are Wrong
AWS Application Migration Service (option B) is the execution tool: it continuously replicates source servers into a staging area in AWS and then launches them during cutover, which is the very replication the company wants to avoid for now. Cloud Migration Factory (option C) is a programmatic orchestration approach for running large numbers of migrations at scale — it automates migration waves, not pre-migration discovery. AWS Transfer Family (option D) is a managed SFTP/FTPS/FTP/AS2 endpoint for moving files into Amazon S3 or Amazon EFS and has nothing to do with inventorying on-premises servers or their dependencies. Each distractor belongs to a different migration stage or a different problem domain entirely.Community Comment Notes
All three learners selected option A, giving the question unanimous support in the comment thread. samosa_123 described it as "specifically designed for companies that want to assess and understand" the existing environment before migrating, which mirrors the question's wording about not migrating yet. d00b229 explained that the service "helps you understand your existing on-premises usage and configuration" and stressed that this happens without requiring replication. ShaiTay simply confirmed the same choice, so there is no dissent to reconcile on this item.Official Reference
Exam Strategy
Anchor on the phase words in the stem: "understand," "assess," "plan," and "not yet" signal Application Discovery Service, while "replicate," "cut over," or "go-live" signal Application Migration Service. When a question explicitly rules out replication, any answer that moves data or servers to AWS is automatically disqualified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why doesn't AWS Application Migration Service satisfy the 'no replication yet' requirement?
AWS Application Migration Service continuously replicates source servers into an AWS staging area as part of an actual cutover, so it starts the migration instead of performing discovery-only assessment.
How does Application Discovery Service collect data without changing the on-premises environment?
Agentless discovery reads server configuration, utilization, and network dependencies through vCenter, while optional agents add in-guest process detail without modifying workloads.
Related Analysis
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