AWS Storage Gateway Cached vs Stored Volumes
Short answer
B Deploy AWS Storage Gateway using cached volumes to store primary data in Amazon S3 while retaining frequently accessed data locally.
Question
Key Takeaways
The core trap is confusing 'cached' (data in S3, cache locally) with 'stored' (data locally, backup to S3); the solution must address both the capacity constraint and the retrieval requirement.
This question addresses AWS Storage Gateway configuration for on-premises data centers running out of local storage capacity while needing to minimize bandwidth and ensure immediate retrieval.
Common mistake: Many learners choose option C because they focus solely on 'immediate retrieval' and assume all data must reside locally, failing to recognize that local storage capacity is the primary problem being solved.
Expert Analysis
Why the Answer Is Correct
Option B is correct because it directly solves the 'running out of storage capacity' issue by migrating the primary data store to Amazon S3 using cached volumes. While the primary data resides in S3, frequently accessed subsets are retained locally in the cache, allowing for low-latency access. This architecture minimizes bandwidth costs compared to transferring entire datasets over the internet or Direct Connect for every read, and since the data is in S3 Standard, retrieval is immediate at no additional cost.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A is incorrect because S3 Glacier Vault has retrieval times ranging from minutes to hours, violating the 'immediate retrieval' requirement. Option C is incorrect because stored volumes keep the entire dataset on-premises, which contradicts the premise that the company is 'running out of storage capacity.' If the local storage is full, storing everything there is impossible without expansion, which isn't the goal here. Option D adds unnecessary complexity and cost with Direct Connect when the fundamental issue is capacity management via caching.
Community Comment Notes
Several users like user67a3f49 correctly identified that keeping data on-premises defeats the purpose if capacity is already exhausted. Others like gsgdga focused too heavily on 'immediate retrieval,' arguing for stored volumes because they have the full dataset locally, missing the capacity constraint. The consensus among those who understood the architectural trade-off favored the cached mode as the only viable path to offload storage while maintaining performance for active data.
Official Reference
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/userguide/CacheVolume.html
This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.
Exam Strategy
Always map the business constraints to the technical features first. If 'capacity is running out,' look for solutions that move data to the cloud (S3). If 'immediate retrieval' is needed, avoid archival tiers like Glacier unless expedited options are explicitly justified for the workload type. Cache volumes are designed specifically for this hybrid scenario.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I use Stored Volumes if I need immediate retrieval?
Does cached volume incur additional retrieval costs from S3?
Community Votes
58% of anonymous learners picked answer B. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.
Discussion 14 contributions
Compiled from public community threads and reader submissions, lightly edited for clarity. Handles and vote tallies are shown as recorded, and comments reflect the views of individual contributors.
From public community threads 14
-
67a3f49 👍 10B is the correct one because: "A company has an on-premises data center that is running out of storage capacity". So when they keep data on-premis and do the backup to S3 they'll run out of data and this is not their purpose.
-
JCVDB23 👍 7 Answered BB. Deploy AWS Storage Gateway using cached volumes. Use Storage Gateway to store data in Amazon S3 while retaining copies of frequently accessed data subsets locally. AWS Storage Gateway’s cached volumes let you use Amazon S3 as your primary data storage while retaining frequently accessed data locally in your storage gateway. Cached volumes minimize the need to scale your on-premises storage infrastructure, while still providing your applications with low-latency access to their frequently accessed data. All data transferred between your gateway and AWS storage is encrypted for security. You can also save on data transfer costs as AWS Storage Gateway compresses all data transferred between the gateway and AWS, allowing you to store more data in AWS while reducing your data transfer costs.
-
BillaRanga 👍 5 Answered CD -> It takes One month to set up AWS Direct Connect setup A -> No sense as it talks nothing about On-Prem B -> Cached volume only stores frequently access data On-Prem, But requirement tells "Data" so we assume it tells All data C -> Correct, as Stored volumes stores everything in Storage Gateway On-Prem while asynchronously backing up to the cloud
-
osmk 👍 4C>>> Cached Mode: In this mode, your primary data resides in Amazon S3, while frequently accessed data is cached locally for low-latency access. Stored Mode: Here, your entire dataset is stored locally, allowing low-latency access on premises. Simultaneously, the data is asynchronously backed up to Amazon S3.
-
gsgdga 👍 4 Answered Cimmediate retrieval of data → shoud have full data set on-premises => stored volumes AWS Storage Gateway
Show 9 more comments
-
mohammadthainat 👍 3 Answered B1- "The company wants to migrate its storage infrastructure to AWS" ->> B as data will be migrated to AWS. 2- "The solution must allow for immediate retrieval of data at no additional cost." ->> B as data will be stored in S3 Standard storage class which provide immediate data retrieval
-
tch 👍 2 Answered BIn the cached Volume Gateway mode, your primary data is stored in Amazon S3, while retaining your frequently accessed data locally in the cache for low latency access. In the stored Volume Gateway mode, your primary data is stored locally and your entire dataset is available for low latency access on premises while also asynchronously getting backed up to Amazon S3
-
jaswantn 👍 2option C... data being accessible through stored volume reduces bandwidth cost and provides immediate retrieval of data.
-
rubiteb 👍 2B - as the company is migrating their data to AWS so data has to be stored in the cloud.
-
Andy_09 👍 2Option C, as it makes all the data available for low-latency access.
-
LeonSauveterre 👍 1 Answered BAnother headache one. Well, I'll go for B for now. A - Really cost-effective, but immediate retrievals incurs additional costs. B - Less optimal for datasets where most data is accessed frequently and must be immediately available locally. C - The on-prem data center "is running out of storage capacity". Then why store everything locally? Why even migrate storage infrastructure to AWS... D - Like C, and also, bandwidth costs are not acceptable.
-
Scheldon 👍 1 Answered BAnswerB I think B answer is the best option here. We will store only data which are frequently accessed and all other we will sent to the cloud. So we will have access to all data but hence most frequently accessed data will be stored in On-Premises Cache we will not pay a lot of additionally $$ for data transfer if any.
-
Lin878 👍 1 Answered CI vote "C" because Question doesn't mention to access frequent data. If they want access frequent data, I will vote "B" with cached volume.
-
ike001 👍 1C is the correct. answer
Reader comments & corrections
No reader corrections yet — spotted an error or have a note? Share it below.
Related Analysis
Practice All SAA-C03 Questions
Access 120 questions with complete answers and detailed explanations.
View Full SAA-C03 Practice Test →