AWS Storage Gateway Volume vs File Gateway for On-Premises

SAA-C03 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine appropriate data security controls.

Short answer

C Deploy an AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway with cached volumes to store data in S3 while caching frequent subsets locally for low latency.

Question

A pharmaceutical company is developing a new drug. The volume of data that the company generates has grown exponentially over the past few months. The company's researchers regularly require a subset of the entire dataset to be immediately available with minimal lag. However, the entire dataset does not need to be accessed on a daily basis. All the data currently resides in on-premises storage arrays, and the company wants to reduce ongoing capital expenses. Which storage solution should a solutions architect recommend to meet these requirements?
  1. Run AWS DataSync as a scheduled cron job to migrate the data to an Amazon S3 bucket on an ongoing basis.
  2. Deploy an AWS Storage Gateway file gateway with an Amazon S3 bucket as the target storage. Migrate the data to the Storage Gateway appliance.
  3. Deploy an AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway with cached volumes with an Amazon S3 bucket as the target storage. Migrate the data to the Storage Gateway appliance. Correct Answer
  4. Configure an AWS Site-to-Site VPN connection from the on-premises environment to AWS. Migrate data to an Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS) file system.

Key Takeaways

The key insight is matching 'storage array' terminology to block-level access (Volume Gateway) rather than file protocols, and using cached volumes for local low-latency access.

This question tests the selection of AWS Storage Gateway modes for hybrid storage scenarios. The correct solution uses Volume Gateway with cached volumes to keep frequently accessed data locally while storing the bulk in S3.

Common mistake: Many candidates choose File Gateway (B) because researchers typically access files, but the term 'storage array' implies block devices, making Volume Gateway the technically precise answer for on-premises integration.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct The scenario describes an on-premises 'storage array,' which refers to block-level storage (like SAN or NAS arrays serving iSCSI/LUNs). AWS Storage Gateway Volume Gateway provides block storage interfaces (iSCSI) that integrate with these arrays. By selecting 'cached volumes,' the gateway stores the primary copy of the data in Amazon S3 (reducing on-premises capacity costs) but keeps a cache of recently accessed data on the local appliance. This satisfies the requirement for 'immediate availability with minimal lag' for the subset of data researchers need daily.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong Option A (DataSync) is a migration tool, not a persistent active storage interface; it does not provide real-time, low-latency access for ongoing research workflows. Option B (File Gateway) provides NFS/SMB file interfaces. While suitable for file servers, the prompt specifically mentions 'storage arrays,' which are block-oriented. Furthermore, File Gateway caches the entire dataset locally if configured that way, or requires full transfer to S3 without the specific block-caching benefit described. Option D (EFS via VPN) introduces significant latency over the internet/VPN for large datasets and lacks the local caching tier necessary for 'minimal lag' performance on-demand.

Community Comment Notes As Hajra313 noted, the distinction lies in cost-effectiveness and latency handling for subsets of data. Lenotc pointed out that 'storage array' is a trap keyword leading away from file gateways. BatVanyo highlighted the ambiguity between file and block arrays, but emphasized that Volume Gateway is the standard fit for 'arrays'. NinaSGX and Scheldon correctly identified that 'cached volumes' directly address the need for local access to a subset of data stored in the cloud.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/vgw/StorageGatewayConcepts.html

This link opens the official vendor documentation in a new tab.

Exam Strategy

Always map infrastructure keywords to their underlying technology: 'Array' usually means Block (Volume Gateway), while 'Server' or 'Share' often means File (File Gateway). For hybrid requirements needing local speed + cloud scale, look for 'Cached Volumes'.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why not use File Gateway for researcher file access?

While researchers use files, the prompt specifies 'storage arrays' (block level). File Gateway serves file protocols (NFS/SMB) and doesn't utilize the specific 'cached volume' block-caching mechanism optimized for this hybrid array scenario.

Does DataSync provide real-time access?

No, DataSync is a data transfer service for migration or replication. It does not provide an active, mountable storage endpoint for applications requiring immediate, low-latency read/write access.

More SAA-C03 FAQ →

Community Votes

C
100%

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

Discussion 10 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 10

  1. hajra313 👍 7
    B. Deploying an AWS Storage Gateway file gateway with an Amazon S3 bucket as the target storage would require the entire dataset to be stored in Amazon S3, which might not be cost-effective considering that only a subset of the data needs to be accessed regularly. Additionally, accessing data directly from S3 might introduce latency. so correct option is C bcz AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway with cached volumes allows the company to keep frequently accessed data locally on-premises while storing the entire dataset in Amazon S3. This solution provides immediate access to the subset of data with minimal lag, as frequently accessed data is cached locally. It also reduces ongoing capital expenses as it leverages Amazon S3 storage, which is cost-effective.
  2. lenotc 👍 5 Answered C
    storage array, also known as a disk array so AWS Storage Gateway volume. its a trap
  3. BatVanyo 👍 4
    A storage guy here.. the question is not clear enough to give a definitive answer between B and C, as both can do the job. An "on-prem storage array" can be any of the three: - File array (serving any file protocol, e.g. NFS/SMB) -> requiring a file gateway (supports caching of the most recently used data) - Block array (iSCSI/Fibre Channel) -> requiring a volume gateway (supports cached volumes most recently used data) - Combo (providing both File and Block protocols) Something is clearly missing in the question in order to give a definitive answer between B and C.
  4. ninasgx 👍 4 Answered C
    require a subset of the entire dataset => cached volumes
  5. Scheldon 👍 3 Answered C
    AnswerC Deploying an AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway with cached volumes will allow to store all data in AWS but the most frequently accessed data will be stored/cached localy (on-premises) = low latency for most used data while all data will be stored in the cloud. https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/vgw/StorageGatewayConcepts.html#storage-gateway-cached-concepts
Show 5 more comments
  1. MattBJ 👍 3 Answered C
    C is correct. Using AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway with cached volumes provide local access to the file.
  2. mohammadthainat 👍 3 Answered C
    storage arrays = Volume Gateway
  3. osmk 👍 2 Answered C
    The company's researchers regularly require a subset of the entire dataset to be immediately available with minimal laghttps://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/vgw/WhatIsStorageGateway.html
  4. nadeerm 👍 1 Answered B
    Volume Gateway is designed for block storage (EBS volumes), not file storage. It is not the best fit for this use case, which involves file-based data access.
  5. Andy_09 👍 11
    Option C

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