Question

Difficulty: MediumCost-Optimized Storage Tiering and Lifecycle Management

A seismic monitoring station network uploads raw telemetry data logs to an Amazon S3 Standard bucket. Each log file is approximately 15 MB15\text{ MB} in size. The logs are accessed frequently by analytical tools for the first 1010 days. After 1010 days, the logs are rarely accessed, but must remain immediately available for audit queries. All logs are deleted permanently after 2525 days. Which S3 lifecycle policy configuration will minimize storage costs for this workload?

  1. Retain the log files in S3 Standard for the entire 2525 days, then configure a lifecycle rule to expire the objects.Answer
  2. B
    Configure a lifecycle rule to transition the log files to S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) after 1010 days, then expire the objects after 2525 days.
  3. C
    Configure a lifecycle rule to transition the log files to S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 1010 days, then expire the objects after 2525 days.
  4. D
    Configure a lifecycle rule to transition the log files to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 1010 days, then expire the objects after 2525 days.

Answer

Retain the log files in S3 Standard for the entire 2525 days, then configure a lifecycle rule to expire the objects.
Retaining the objects in S3 Standard for the entire 2525 days is the most cost-effective strategy. This is because transitioning them to S3 Standard-IA on day 1010 means they will only spend 1515 days in S3 Standard-IA. Since S3 Standard-IA enforces a minimum storage charge of 3030 days, the organization would be billed for an extra 1515 days of unused storage, making the transition more expensive than keeping the files in S3 Standard.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the lifecycle requirements of the data.
The files are stored in Amazon S3 for a total of 2525 days before deletion. They require frequent access for the first 1010 days and immediate access for the remaining 1515 days.
Understanding the timeline and access patterns is necessary to determine which S3 storage classes are viable and most cost-effective.
2
Evaluate S3 Standard-IA suitability.
S3 Standard-IA has a minimum storage duration of 3030 days. Transitioning the files on day 1010 and deleting them on day 2525 means they reside in S3 Standard-IA for only 1515 days, incurring a 1515-day penalty charge.
Evaluating S3 Standard-IA helps determine whether transitioning saves money or incurs a minimum storage duration penalty.
3
Compare storage costs between keeping files in S3 Standard vs. transitioning to S3 Standard-IA.
The cost of S3 Standard for 2525 days is cheaper than paying for 1010 days of S3 Standard plus a minimum 3030-day charge in S3 Standard-IA.
A quantitative cost comparison determines the most financially optimal lifecycle policy.

Key Concept

S3 lifecycle policies and the minimum storage duration rules for infrequent access and archive tiers.
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