Migrating file data to S3 while keeping SMB access via Storage Gateway

SAP-C02 By islever Editorial Last updated

Determine the optimal migration approach for existing workloads.

Short answer

D Deploy a Storage Gateway file gateway on premises with an SMB file share stored in the S3 bucket, so the app keeps SMB access while data resides in S3.

Question

A company is planning to migrate an application from on premises to the AWS Cloud. The company will begin the migration by moving the application’s underlying data storage to AWS. The application data is stored on a shared file system on premises, and the application servers connect to the shared file system through SMB. A solutions architect must implement a solution that uses an Amazon S3 bucket for shared storage. Until the application is fully migrated and code is rewritten to use native Amazon S3 APIs, the application must continue to have access to the data through SMB. The solutions architect must migrate the application data to AWS to its new location while still allowing the on-premises application to access the data. Which solution will meet these requirements?
  1. Create a new Amazon FSx for Windows File Server file system. Configure AWS DataSync with one location for the on-premises file share and one location for the new Amazon FSx file system. Create a new DataSync task to copy the data from the on-premises file share location to the Amazon FSx file system.
  2. Create an S3 bucket for the application. Copy the data from the on-premises storage to the S3 bucket.
  3. Deploy an AWS Server Migration Service (AWS SMS) VM to the on-premises environment. Use AWS SMS to migrate the file storage server from on premises to an Amazon EC2 instance.
  4. Create an S3 bucket for the application. Deploy a new AWS Storage Gateway file gateway on an on-premises VM. Create a new file share that stores data in the S3 bucket and is associated with the file gateway. Copy the data from the on-premises storage to the new file gateway endpoint. Correct Answer

Key Takeaways

A Storage Gateway file gateway bridges SMB/NFS on premises to an S3-backed file share, so the application retains SMB access during the transition while the data actually resides in S3.

An on-prem app using SMB must move its shared data to S3 but keep SMB access until code is rewritten. A Storage Gateway file gateway deployed on-prem presents an SMB file share backed by S3, letting the existing app keep SMB access while the data lands in the S3 bucket.

Common mistake: Choosing FSx for Windows (Option A) stores data in FSx rather than the required S3 bucket, and AWS SMS (Option C) migrates servers rather than providing a continued SMB-to-S3 bridge.

Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

Option D creates the S3 bucket as the ultimate store and deploys a Storage Gateway file gateway on an on-prem VM with an SMB file share that stores data in that bucket. The existing application keeps S3-compatible SMB access through the gateway while the underlying data is already in S3, exactly meeting the transitional requirement.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Option A uses FSx for Windows, which stores data in FSx rather than the mandated S3 bucket. Option B copies data to S3 but provides no SMB access for the still-on-prem application. Option C (AWS SMS) migrates a file server to EC2 and does not maintain the SMB-to-S3 bridge during the transition.

Community Comment Notes

The community vote is overwhelmingly D (95). TonytheTiger links the AWS Architecture Blog on connecting S3 via File Gateway. A removed comment argued for A, but A does not place data in the required S3 bucket during the transition.

Official Reference

https://docs.aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/latest/userguide/what-is-file-gateway.html

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

Community Votes

D
100%

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

Discussion 9 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 9

  1. TheCloudGuruu 👍 4 Answered D
    the application must continue to have access to the data through SMB = Storage Gateway
  2. kejam 👍 4 Answered D
    https://aws.amazon.com/storagegateway/file/
  3. HunkyBunky 👍 3 Answered D
    I guess that proper answer is - D We need to implement solition that uses Amazon S3 bucket for shared storage, but during migration phase - data should be avliable throught SMB. Only D option fits in this requirements
  4. [Removed] 👍 3
    Option A For me it's quite clear: "The solutions architect must migrate the application data to AWS to its new location WHILE STILL ALLOWING the on-premises application to access the data."
  5. TonytheTiger 👍 3 Answered D
    Option D : AWS Architecture Blog https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/architecture/connect-amazon-s3-file-gateway-using-aws-privatelink-for-amazon-s3/
Show 4 more comments
  1. AzureDP900 👍 2
    Option D meets all the requirements: • Create an S3 bucket for the application: This provides a shared storage location for the application's data. • Deploy a new AWS Storage Gateway file gateway on an on-premises VM: The file gateway is used to enable SMB access to the S3 bucket, allowing the on-premises application to continue accessing the data through SMB. • Create a new file share that stores data in the S3 bucket and is associated with the file gateway: This creates a bridge between the on-premises file system and the S3 bucket, allowing data to be copied from one location to another. • Copy the data from the on-premises storage to the new file gateway endpoint: This ensures that all application data is migrated to the new shared storage location.
  2. GeorgeRemus 👍 3 Answered D
    Correct Answer is D
  3. career360guru 👍 2 Answered D
    Option D.
  4. master9 👍 1 Answered B
    S3 bucket

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