A global biomedical research organization plans to migrate its core infrastructure to Goog… — Google Cloud Professional Cloud Architect

A global biomedical research organization plans to migrate its core infrastructure to Google Cloud within a strict 14-day timeline. The workload comprises two main components:

1. An $850\text{ TB}$ uncompressed genomic dataset stored on an on-premises Network Attached Storage (NAS) array. The organization has a $500\text{ Mbps}$ dedicated Internet connection with an average baseline usage of $70\%$ .
2. A $2.5\text{ TB}$ transactional PostgreSQL database supporting active clinical trials that requires continuous replication with zero-downtime cutover.

Which migration strategy meets the operational and time constraints while following Google Cloud architectural best practices?

Order GCP Transfer Appliance devices to perform an offline bulk transfer of the genomic dataset into Cloud Storage, while configuring Database Migration Service (DMS) with continuous Change Data Capture (CDC) over HA VPN for the PostgreSQL database.Answer
B
Utilize Storage Transfer Service over the existing $500\text{ Mbps}$ Internet link to transfer the $850\text{ TB}$ genomic dataset directly into Cloud Storage, while deploying Database Migration Service (DMS) for the PostgreSQL database continuous replication.
C
Deploy GCP Transfer Appliance devices for the genomic dataset migration, while using Storage Transfer Service to continuously replicate the PostgreSQL database into Cloud Spanner.
D
Configure multiple HA VPN tunnels to aggregate bandwidth across the existing Internet link up to $10\text{ Gbps}$ for streaming the genomic dataset via Storage Transfer Service, while using Database Migration Service for the database.

Answer

The optimal solution is to order Transfer Appliance devices for the offline migration of the

850\text{ TB}

genomic data, combined with Database Migration Service (DMS) using Change Data Capture (CDC) over HA VPN for the

2.5\text{ TB}

PostgreSQL database cutover.

The correct strategy combines offline physical data transfer (Transfer Appliance) for large static datasets that cannot physically stream over existing network connections within the required timeline, alongside native database continuous replication (Database Migration Service with CDC over HA VPN) to achieve minimal downtime for active transactional workloads.

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate available network throughput and transfer time for the unstructured genomic dataset.

With a

500\text{ Mbps}

link at

70\%

utilization, net available bandwidth is

150\text{ Mbps}

(

18.75\text{ MB/s}

). Transferring

850\text{ TB}

(

850,000,000\text{ MB}

) requires

\approx 45,333,333\text{ seconds} \approx 524\text{ days}

, exceeding the 14-day limit.

Determines whether an online network transfer or offline physical appliance transfer is necessary.

Select the appropriate transfer mechanism for the

850\text{ TB}

dataset.

Transfer Appliance allows offline bulk ingestion of petabyte-scale data within the 14-day window.

Offline appliance shipping bypasses limited network throughput constraints.

Select the continuous database replication mechanism for the PostgreSQL database.

Database Migration Service (DMS) enables continuous Change Data Capture (CDC) replication over a secure private network connection (HA VPN).

Satisfies the zero-downtime continuous replication requirement for active clinical trial data.

Key Concept

Selecting data migration strategies based on dataset scale, available network bandwidth, and application downtime tolerance.

Estimated Time:2m 30s

Question

Answer

Step-by-Step Solution

Key Concept

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