AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate / Question #1324 of 1019

Question #1324

A media production company requires a shared storage solution for video editing workflows hosted on AWS. The solution must support SMB protocol access from multiple Windows-based workstations and be fully managed by AWS. Which option meets these requirements?

A

Create an Amazon EFS file system. Configure SMB access permissions and mount the file system to the workstations.

B

Launch an Amazon EC2 instance with Ubuntu OS. Install and configure Samba for file sharing. Connect the workstations to the Samba share.

C

Deploy an Amazon FSx for Windows File Server file system. Attach the file system to the editing servers and connect the workstations via SMB.

D

Use Amazon S3 with a third-party SMB gateway appliance hosted on EC2. Mount the SMB gateway to the workstations.

Explanation

Option C is correct because Amazon FSx for Windows File Server is a fully managed AWS service designed to support SMB protocol access, which is required for Windows-based workstations. It provides high-performance shared storage optimized for latency-sensitive workloads like video editing.

Option A is incorrect because Amazon EFS uses the NFS protocol, not SMB, and is primarily designed for Linux-based systems. Option B involves managing a self-hosted Samba server on EC2, which is not fully managed by AWS. Option D relies on a third-party SMB gateway appliance, which introduces management overhead and is not fully AWS-managed. FSx eliminates the need for infrastructure management and ensures seamless SMB compatibility, meeting all requirements.

Answer

The correct answer is: C