AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

Explanation

Correct Answer: D - Host the application on an Amazon EC2 instance. Use an Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS) GP3 volume to run the application.

Why Option D is Correct:

1. Lift and Shift Requirement: The company wants to move the application without changing architecture. Using an EC2 instance with EBS volumes is the closest equivalent to on-premises servers with locally attached storage.

2. Cost-Effectiveness: EBS GP3 volumes are more cost-effective than GP2 volumes because:

   • GP3 provides baseline performance at lower cost
   • GP3 allows separate provisioning of IOPS and throughput, enabling better cost optimization
   • GP3 is generally 20% cheaper than GP2 for the same performance

3. Latency-Sensitive Application: EBS provides low-latency block storage that's suitable for latency-sensitive applications.

4. Simplicity: A single EC2 instance with EBS is simpler and more cost-effective than Auto Scaling groups with file systems.

Why Other Options are Incorrect:

Option A (FSx for Lustre):

• FSx for Lustre is designed for high-performance computing (HPC) and machine learning workloads
• It's more expensive than EBS
• Not necessary for a simple lift-and-shift migration
• Auto Scaling adds unnecessary complexity and cost

Option B (EBS GP2):

• GP2 volumes are more expensive than GP3 for equivalent performance
• GP3 offers better price-performance ratio
• GP2 ties storage performance to volume size, which can lead to overprovisioning

Option C (FSx for OpenZFS):

• FSx for OpenZFS is designed for Linux file system compatibility
• More expensive than EBS
• Auto Scaling adds unnecessary complexity
• Not the most cost-effective solution

Key Considerations:

• EBS GP3 vs GP2: GP3 provides baseline 3,000 IOPS and 125 MB/s throughput regardless of volume size, while GP2 performance scales with volume size
• File Systems vs Block Storage: For lift-and-shift of applications using locally attached storage, block storage (EBS) is more appropriate than file systems
• Auto Scaling: Not needed if the application architecture isn't changing and the company wants minimal modifications

Best Practice: For lift-and-shift migrations of latency-sensitive applications, start with EC2 instances and EBS GP3 volumes, then optimize further based on actual performance requirements.