How to Lift and Shift On-Premises VMs to AWS Quickly?

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Design scalable and loosely coupled architectures.

Short answer

BCD Install the AWS Replication Agent for Application Migration Service, test the replicated VMs, then launch cutover instances.

Question

A company runs multiple workloads on virtual machines (VMs) in an on-premises data center. The company is expanding rapidly. The on-premises data center is not able to scale fast enough to meet business needs. The company wants to migrate the workloads to AWS. The migration is time sensitive. The company wants to use a lift-and-shift strategy for non-critical workloads. Which combination of steps will meet these requirements? (Choose three.)
  1. Use the AWS Schema Conversion Tool (AWS SCT) to collect data about the VMs.
  2. Use AWS Application Migration Service. Install the AWS Replication Agent on the VMs. Correct Answer
  3. Complete the initial replication of the VMs. Launch test instances to perform acceptance tests on the VMs. Correct Answer
  4. Stop all operations on the VMs. Launch a cutover instance. Correct Answer
  5. Use AWS App2Container (A2C) to collect data about the VMs.

Key Takeaways

The question tests whether you can map a lift-and-shift VM migration to the MGN workflow (agent, initial replication plus test launch, cutover) rather than the trap of picking AWS SCT or App2Container simply because they also carry the AWS migration label.

A time-sensitive lift-and-shift migration of on-premises VM workloads to AWS is executed with AWS Application Migration Service, not database or container tooling. This page confirms that the three required steps are installing the AWS Replication Agent, validating replicated VMs with test instances, and cutting over after stopping source operations (B, C, D).

Common mistake: The most common wrong pick is option A (AWS Schema Conversion Tool), because candidates recognize the name as an AWS migration tool and assume it 'collects data about the VMs'; in reality SCT converts database schemas and engines, which is exactly the re-platforming work a lift-and-shift strategy avoids, while option E (App2Container) wrongly containerizes the workload instead of replicating the VM.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Option B names the purpose-built service for lift-and-shift: AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) replicates source servers block-level into a staging area in your AWS account, and the AWS Replication Agent is what you install on each source VM to start that replication. Option C describes the validation stage of the MGN lifecycle: once the initial replication reaches a healthy state, you launch test instances and run acceptance tests while the production VM keeps serving traffic, so problems are found before any outage. Option D describes cutover: you stop writes on the source VM so the last delta can be replicated, then launch the cutover instance, which MGN has already converted to boot natively as an EC2 instance. Together B, C and D form the complete agent-install, replicate-and-test, cut-over sequence for a fast, minimally modified migration.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A is a distractor built on tool-name recognition: AWS Schema Conversion Tool exists to convert source database schemas, stored procedures and code to a target engine, which is re-platforming or refactoring rather than the requested lift-and-shift of whole VMs. Option E is the containerization distractor: App2Container discovers.NET and Java applications and repackages them into containers for ECS or EKS, adding an application-modernization project that directly conflicts with a time-sensitive migration and with the goal of minimal modification. Neither tool collects VM-level information for replication, so both would leave the company without the block-level data MGN needs.

Community Comment Notes

All 100 recorded votes land on B, C, D, and the comment thread is unusually consistent in explaining why. LeonSauveterre frames the concept plainly — "Lift-and-shift means replicating on-premises workloads to AWS" — and adds that "A cutover instance is used to direct traffic away from the source region", which matches the stop-operations-then-cutover step in option D. JA2018 walks through the same mapping option by option, calling MGN "the primary tool for a lift-and-shift migration strategy" and stressing that acceptance tests are run on test instances after initial replication, while aragon_saa simply concurs with B, C, D. The practical takeaway from the thread is that the confusing part is only the wording, not the technology.

Official Reference

These links open the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

On SAA-C03 multi-select migration questions, first classify the strategy asked for (rehost, replatform, refactor) before looking at the options; any option that converts schemas (SCT) or containerizes apps (App2Container) is refactoring/replatforming and can be eliminated immediately when the stem says lift-and-shift. Then keep the three options that follow the replication lifecycle order: install agent, replicate and test, then cut over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is AWS Schema Conversion Tool (option A) wrong for a lift-and-shift VM migration?

SCT converts database schemas and code to a new engine, which is re-platforming rather than rehosting the VM. Lift-and-shift uses AWS Application Migration Service block-level replication with the AWS Replication Agent instead.

Do you really have to stop operations on the VMs before cutover?

Yes. Writes must stop so the final delta can replicate, otherwise the cutover instance would boot from an inconsistent point. Test instances run earlier while the source is still live.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

BCD
100%

100% of anonymous learners picked answer BCD. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Discussion 3 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 3

  1. LeonSauveterre 👍 4
    Well this is new. Never seen a question like that before. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW: 1. Lift-and-shift means replicating on-premises workloads to AWS with minimal modifications. 2. A cutover instance is used to direct traffic away from the source region and to the workload in the target region.
  2. JA2018 👍 2
    Why I will choose Options B, C & D: #B: AWS Application Migration Service (AWS Migration Service) is the primary tool for a lift-and-shift migration strategy, allowing you to easily replicate on-premises VMs to AWS by installing the Replication Agent on the VMs. #C: Complete initial replication and launch test instances: After the initial replication of VMs to AWS, it's crucial to perform acceptance tests on the newly migrated instances to ensure functionality before fully transitioning. #D: Stop operations and launch a cutover instance: For a cutover migration, you would stop operations on the on-premises VMs and then launch the migrated instances on AWS to switch over completely
  3. aragon_saa 👍 2
    Answer is BCD

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