Question

Difficulty: MediumCost-Optimized Storage Tiering and Lifecycle Management

A genomic research laboratory runs sequencing pipelines on Amazon EC2 instances in a private subnet. The pipelines generate raw sequence files of approximately 150 MB150\text{ MB} each, which are stored in an Amazon S3 bucket. The data is accessed frequently and must be available immediately for the first 15 days15\text{ days}. After 15 days15\text{ days}, the files are rarely accessed but must be retained for at least 120 days120\text{ days} to meet regulatory compliance requirements. Audits can tolerate a retrieval time of up to 5 hours5\text{ hours}.

Which TWO solutions should the solutions architect combine to meet these requirements in the most cost-effective manner? (Select TWO.)

  1. Create an S3 Lifecycle rule to transition the objects to Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval 15 days15\text{ days} after creation.Answer
  2. Create an S3 Lifecycle rule to expire the objects 120 days120\text{ days} after creation.Answer
  3. C
    Create an S3 Lifecycle rule to transition the objects to Amazon S3 Standard-Infrequent Access (S3 Standard-IA) 15 days15\text{ days} after creation, and then to Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval 30 days30\text{ days} after creation.
  4. D
    Create an S3 Lifecycle rule to transition the objects to Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive 15 days15\text{ days} after creation.
  5. E
    Route the data transfer from the private EC2 instances to Amazon S3 through a NAT Gateway, and transition the objects to Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval 15 days15\text{ days} after creation.

Answer

To meet the requirements cost-effectively, the solutions architect should use S3 Lifecycle rules to transition the objects to Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval 15 days15\text{ days} after creation, and expire the objects 120 days120\text{ days} after creation.
Transitioning files to Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval after 15 days15\text{ days} is the most cost-effective tier because it meets the requirement of keeping files available immediately for the first 15 days15\text{ days} and allows standard retrievals within 3 to 5 hours3\text{ to }5\text{ hours}, well within the 5-hour5\text{-hour} audit limit. Expiring the objects after 120 days120\text{ days} ensures that they are deleted once the compliance retention period is reached, stopping all storage charges.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the storage requirements for the active data phase.
Data must be stored in a tier that provides immediate and frequent access for the first 15 days15\text{ days}.
Since the genomic sequencing files must be accessed frequently and immediately during the initial phase, they should remain in Amazon S3 Standard for the first 15 days15\text{ days} before transition.
2
Evaluate the optimal archive tier for the inactive phase based on cost and access requirements.
Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval is chosen instead of S3 Standard-IA or S3 Glacier Deep Archive.
The files are rarely accessed after 15 days15\text{ days} and can tolerate a retrieval time of up to 5 hours5\text{ hours}. S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval (standard retrieval of 3 to 5 hours3\text{ to }5\text{ hours}) meets this recovery window at a much lower cost than S3 Standard-IA, while S3 Glacier Deep Archive (up to 12 hours12\text{ hours}) is too slow.
3
Define the expiration rule for regulatory compliance.
The files are set to expire 120 days120\text{ days} after creation.
The regulatory compliance rules require retaining files for at least 120 days120\text{ days}, after which they are no longer needed, so an expiration rule stops ongoing storage costs.

Key Concept

Selecting the most cost-effective S3 storage tier based on access patterns, retrieval times, minimum storage durations, and expiration requirements.
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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