Create an FSx for NetApp ONTAP instance in the DR Region with a 5-minute SnapMirror schedule

Why the Answer Is Correct

The scenario establishes that no application data resides on the EC2 instances, so the recovery objective applies to the Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP volume that provides application storage. The AMIs and the CloudFormation Region parameter are already handled, which leaves the storage replication as the remaining requirement. Creating an FSx for NetApp ONTAP instance in the DR Region gives the DR environment a managed ONTAP file system, and configuring a five-minute volume-level NetApp SnapMirror schedule replicates the volume from the production Region to the DR Region on that cadence (D). Because SnapMirror transfers only changed blocks incrementally, a five-minute schedule comfortably meets the ten-minute RPO at modest cost, and ONTAP replication is native to the platform rather than bolted on. Srikantha noted this delivers continuous low-latency replication that meets the ten-minute RPO efficiently. D is the correct answer.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

A creates an Amazon S3 bucket in each Region with cross-Region replication and a scheduled Lambda function to copy new content from the FSx for ONTAP volume into the production Region's bucket. This introduces a bucket, a Lambda, and a scheduled copy job, and it depends on the application data being written to S3 as a secondary copy rather than replicating the ONTAP volume itself, so it does not provide volume-level incremental replication at the required cadence. B uses AWS Backup with a custom backup plan at ten-minute frequency, specifies the DR Region as the target, and assigns the EC2 instances in the production Region to the plan. The scenario states explicitly that no application data resides on the EC2 instances, so backing up and replicating those instances does not protect the application data at all. C creates a Lambda function that snapshots the instance store volumes attached to the EC2 instances, copies the snapshots to the DR Region, and removes previous copies on a ten-minute schedule. Instance store volumes hold no application data in this scenario, and their contents are not durable across instance stops, so this approach protects nothing relevant and adds recurring snapshot-copy cost. D is correct.

Community Comment Notes

Community voted D unanimously. Srikantha explained that FSx for ONTAP SnapMirror with a five-minute replication schedule ensures continuous low-latency replication and meets the ten-minute RPO requirement efficiently. f4b18ba described the implementation steps, creating an FSx for ONTAP instance in the new DR Region and setting up SnapMirror replication from the FSx in the production Region. matt200 confirmed D. No alternative received support.