Exams / SAP-C03 / Study guide / Hybrid data sync and legacy integration (DataSync, Storage Gateway, Amazon MQ)
Hybrid data sync and legacy integration (DataSync, Storage Gateway, Amazon MQ): SAP-C03 study notes and practice questions
What to know about Hybrid data sync and legacy integration (DataSync, Storage Gateway, Amazon MQ) for the SAP-C03 exam, from the Architecture Design and Implementation Built for the Cloud domain (25% of the exam guide), then 1 free question to test it. Part of the SAP-C03 study guide.
SAP-C03 asks which service keeps on-premises and cloud data in sync, and how to bring old integration styles (file drops, JMS queues, SOAP, fixed formats) onto AWS without rewriting every partner.
Moving and syncing data
Service
Fits
AWS DataSync
Online transfers between NFS, SMB, HDFS, object storage and S3, EFS or FSx; scheduled incremental syncs, integrity checks, bandwidth limits; also copies between AWS storage services and from other clouds
Storage Gateway, S3 File Gateway
On-premises apps keep an NFS or SMB share with a local cache while files land as S3 objects
Storage Gateway, Volume Gateway
iSCSI block volumes backed by AWS, with EBS snapshots (cached or stored mode)
Storage Gateway, Tape Gateway
Replaces physical tape libraries for existing backup software; archives to S3 Glacier classes
AWS Transfer Family
Managed SFTP, FTPS, FTP and AS2 endpoints into S3 or EFS for partners who can’t change their tools; managed workflows process files on arrival
Data Transfer Terminal
Physically bring storage devices to an AWS site for high-speed upload
Amazon FSx File Gateway is no longer available to new customers; for low-latency Windows file shares, use FSx for Windows File Server directly over Direct Connect or VPN.
Modernizing legacy integration
Amazon MQ (ActiveMQ or RabbitMQ) supports JMS, AMQP, MQTT, STOMP and OpenWire, so existing applications move without code changes. Choose it to lift and shift a message broker; choose SQS and SNS for new cloud-native apps.
API Gateway puts a modern REST facade in front of legacy systems: mapping templates reshape requests and responses, and Lambda integrations translate formats (XML to JSON, fixed width to JSON).
Lambda transforms payloads between the legacy format and events on EventBridge or SQS; EventBridge Pipes connect a source such as Amazon MQ or SQS to a target with filtering and enrichment.
AppFlow moves data from SaaS apps to S3 or Redshift with field mapping, no code.
How to choose
Scenario wording
Choose
“Migrate 200 TB of NAS data, then keep in sync until cutover”
DataSync
“On-premises app writes to a file share, analytics in S3”
S3 File Gateway
“Replace tape backups without changing the backup software”
Tape Gateway
“External partners upload by SFTP”
Transfer Family
“Move a JMS app with no code changes”
Amazon MQ
“Expose a SOAP mainframe service as JSON REST”
API Gateway with Lambda transformation
Common traps
Scripts with rsync or cron when DataSync gives scheduling, verification and retries.
DataSync for ongoing low-latency local file access, which is a gateway job.
SQS for an app that requires JMS, forcing a rewrite.
A hospital group stores about 300 TB of medical imaging on NFS file servers in its data center. It wants the archive in Amazon S3 within about three weeks, using the existing 10 Gbps Direct Connect link, with checksum verification of every file.
After the first copy, the archive must stay in sync with the on-premises files each night for six months, while the radiology applications keep reading the files over NFS until cutover. The IT team wants a managed service with little custom code.
Which solution meets these requirements?
Choose one answer.
AA. Use AWS Database Migration Service with a full load and ongoing replication task, pointing the NFS file servers at the S3 bucket as the target.
BB. Create an AWS Transfer Family SFTP server backed by the S3 bucket, switch the radiology applications from NFS to SFTP, and run scripted SFTP copy jobs for the first copy and the nightly sync.
CC. Configure an AWS Storage Gateway volume gateway on premises, with the NFS shares presented as iSCSI volumes that are backed up to S3 as snapshots.
DD. Deploy an AWS DataSync agent in the data center, and create a DataSync task from the NFS shares to the S3 bucket with data verification turned on and a nightly schedule.
Show the answer and explanation
Answer: D
A. Wrong: AWS Database Migration Service moves data between databases, not file shares. It does not sync an NFS file tree or verify files the way the hospital group needs.
B. Wrong: Transfer Family gives managed SFTP access to S3, but the radiology applications would have to change from NFS before cutover, which the stem rules out. The scripted copy and sync jobs are also the custom code the IT team wants to avoid.
C. Wrong: A volume gateway presents block storage over iSCSI, so the NFS file servers and their directory tree do not map onto it. The archive would not appear in S3 as the files the radiology tools read.
D. Right: Correct. DataSync is a managed file transfer service with an on-premises agent, scheduled incremental transfers, and data verification, so it fits the three-week copy and the nightly sync with little custom code.
Explanation
DataSync copies NFS file trees to S3 with verification and scheduled incremental runs. DMS targets databases, Transfer Family changes the access method for the radiology tools, and a volume gateway presents block storage rather than the file tree.
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