File storage services like Amazon EFS are designed for applications that require data access from multiple sources at once. Apply this to your shared file or content management systems, development environments, media workflows, and enterprises applications etc. Code repositories like Git greatly benefit from this type of storage.

Here is a sample CloudFormation YAML for creating an Amazon EFS:

EFSFileSystem:
Type: "AWS::EFS::FileSystem"
Properties:
PerformanceMode: "generalPurpose"

Table of Contents

Object Storage – Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service)

Ideal for data archiving, backup and recovery, web and mobile applications, AWS applications, and distributed computing, among others, object storage services like Amazon S3 store data as objects within resources called “buckets.” You can store as many objects as you want within a bucket, and write, read, and delete objects containing from 1 byte to 5 terabytes of data each.

Here’s an AWS CLI command to create an S3 bucket:

aws s3api create-bucket --bucket my-bucket --region us-west-2 --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=us-west-2

Databases – Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service)

AWS offers a vast array of databases, both SQL (like RDS) and NoSQL (like DynamoDB). Amazon RDS makes it easy for developers to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. It offers automatic backups, hardware scaling, setup and deployment, and more.

Below is a sample AWS CLI command to create an RDS DB instance:

aws rds create-db-instance --db-instance-identifier mydbinstance --db-instance-class db.m1.small --engine MySQL --master-username user --master-user-password password

Let’s offer a comparative perspective:

Amazon EFS Amazon S3 Amazon RDS
Storage Type File Object Database
Scalability Unlimited Unlimited Yes
Performance Metrics Yes Yes Yes
Access Mutli Multi Multi
High Availability and Durability Yes Yes Yes

In conclusion, when preparing for the AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) exam, understanding the purpose, use, and functionality of each of these storage options is essential. By utilizing the respective Amazon services (EFS for file, S3 for object, and RDS for databases), developers can build extensive, well-architected systems primed for optimal data management in the AWS cloud.

Practice Test

True or False: Amazon S3 is a file storage service.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False.

Explanation: Amazon S3 is an object storage service that offers industry-leading scalability, data availability, security, and performance.

Which type of storage provides the ability to mount your storage to multiple EC2 instances across multiple Availability Zones?

  • A) File storage
  • B) Object storage
  • C) Block storage
  • D) All of the above

Answer: A) File storage

Explanation: File storage options like Amazon EFS provide the capability to mount your storage across multiple EC2 instances simultaneously in multiple Availability Zones.

True or False: Amazon RDS is a managed relational database service.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True.

Explanation: Amazon RDS is a managed relational database service that provides six widely used database engines to run applications, including Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle, and SQL Server.

What storage type is Amazon S3 compatible with?

  • A) Block storage
  • B) Object storage
  • C) File storage
  • D) All of the above

Answer: B) Object storage

Explanation: Amazon S3 is an object storage service, which is designed to store and retrieve any amount of data from anywhere.

What are some of the use cases of Amazon EFS?

  • A) Content Delivery
  • B) Big Data Analytics
  • C) Data Archiving
  • D) Shared file storage

Answer: D) Shared file storage

Explanation: Amazon EFS is a file storage service for use with Amazon EC2, and it provides a file system interface for applications.

Which service offers automatic scaling with no need to provision storage capacity?

  • A) Amazon S3
  • B) Amazon EBS
  • C) Amazon EFS
  • D) Amazon GlusterFS

Answer: C) Amazon EFS

Explanation: Amazon EFS is designed to provide massively parallel shared access to thousands of Amazon EC2 instances, enabling your applications to achieve high levels of aggregate throughput and IOPS with consistent low latencies.

True or False: Amazon EBS volumes can be up to 16 TB in size.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True.

Explanation: Amazon EBS provides volumes that can be up to 16 TB in size and deliver up to 10,000 IOPS.

Which type of storage is best suited for workloads where data is accessed infrequently, and performance is not a critical aspect?

  • A) File storage
  • B) Object storage
  • C) Block storage

Answer: B) Object storage

Explanation: Object storage services like Amazon S3 cater well to infrequent access scenarios where latency is acceptable.

True or False: Amazon Glacier is designed for long-term backup and archival storage.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True.

Explanation: Amazon Glacier is a secure, durable, and low-cost storage class for data archiving and long-term backup.

Which of the following service is a fully managed NoSQL database service?

  • A) Amazon Aurora
  • B) Amazon RDS
  • C) Amazon DynamoDB
  • D) Amazon Redshift

Answer: C) Amazon DynamoDB

Explanation: Amazon DynamoDB is a fully managed NoSQL database service that provides fast and predictable performance with seamless
scalability.

What is the primary use case for Amazon EBS?

  • A) Structured Data
  • B) Big Data
  • C) Primary Storage for EC2
  • D) Global Content delivery

Answer: C) Primary Storage for EC2

Explanation: Amazon EBS is primarily used as a block-level storage for both throughput and transaction-intensive workloads at any scale for Amazon EC2 instances.

True or False: Amazon S3 One Zone-IA storage class stores data in only one Availability Zone.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True.

Explanation: Amazon S3 One Zone-IA storage class is for data that is accessed less frequently, but requires rapid access when needed. It stores data in a single AZ and costs 20% less than Standard-IA.

What is a common use case for Amazon RDS?

  • A) Data Archiving
  • B) Structured Data Storage
  • C) Content Delivery
  • D) Shared File Storage

Answer: B) Structured Data Storage

Explanation: Amazon RDS is commonly used for structured data storage, especially for running relational databases, as it offers an SQL interface for data interaction.

Which AWS storage service is designed for Big Data and analytics use?

  • A) Amazon S3
  • B) Amazon EBS
  • C) Amazon FSx
  • D) Amazon EMR

Answer: D) Amazon EMR

Explanation: Amazon EMR is a managed service that makes it fast, easy, and cost-effective to process vast amounts of data across dynamically scalable Amazon EC2 instances.

Which AWS storage service is tailored for use in machine learning and analytics scenarios?

  • A) Amazon EBS
  • B) Amazon RDS
  • C) Amazon S3
  • D) Amazon FSx for Lustre

Answer: D) Amazon FSx for Lustre

Explanation: Amazon FSx for Lustre is specifically designed for fast processing of workloads like machine learning, high performance computing (HPC), video processing, financial modeling, and electronic design automation (EDA).

Interview Questions

What is Amazon S3 in terms of AWS Cloud Storage?

Amazon S3 (Simple Storage Service) is an object storage service that offers industry-leading scalability, data availability, security, and performance for data archiving, backup and restore, content distribution, data lakes, big data analytics, and more.

What is the primary difference between file storage and object storage?

File storage organizes data into a hierarchy of files and folders, while object storage organizes data into a flat address space called a storage pool. In object storage, the data is bundled with metadata and assigned a unique identifier.

What is Amazon EBS in the context of AWS Cloud Storage?

Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) is a high performance block storage service designed for use with Amazon EC2 for both throughput and transaction-intensive workloads at any scale, including boot volumes and data-intensive applications like relational and NoSQL databases, enterprise applications, containerized applications, etc.

How is Amazon RDS used in AWS Cloud Storage?

Amazon RDS (Relational Database Service) is a managed relational database service that provides six familiar database engines to choose from, including Amazon Aurora, PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, Oracle Database, and SQL Server. It makes it easy to set up, operate, and scale relational databases in the cloud.

What AWS service allows connecting and storing data from on-premises software?

This can be achieved using AWS Storage Gateway, a hybrid cloud storage service that gives you on-premises access to virtually unlimited cloud storage.

How is data protection managed in Amazon S3?

Amazon S3 provides advanced security features such as bucket policies, Access Control Lists, and the option to enable server-side encryption, protecting data both in-transit and at rest.

What is the maximum size of a single Amazon S3 object?

The maximum size of a single Amazon S3 object is 5 terabytes.

How do you enable cross-region replication for Amazon S3?

Cross-region replication can be enabled or modified through the Amazon S3 console by adding a replication configuration to a source bucket.

What types of storage does Amazon Glacier provide?

Amazon Glacier provides low-cost storage for data archiving and long-term backup. It is specifically designed for data that is retained for months, years, or even decades.

What features does AWS Storage Gateway provide?

AWS Storage Gateway provides seamless integration between an organization’s on-premises environment and AWS’s storage infrastructure. It securely stores data in the AWS cloud for scalable and cost-effective storage while providing low-latency access to data on-premises.

What consistency model does Amazon S3 provide?

Amazon S3 provides eventual consistency (changes may not be immediately visible to all actors) and read-after-write consistency for PUT objects.

Is Amazon EBS a block-level or object-level storage service?

Amazon EBS is a block-level storage service. It provides raw block-level storage that can be attached to Amazon EC2 instances and is used in applications that require direct access to the disk.

Can you point out the difference between Amazon RDS and Amazon DynamoDB?

Amazon RDS is a service for operating and scaling a relational database in the cloud while Amazon DynamoDB is a NoSQL database service for any scale without the need for database management tasks.

Does Amazon Glacier support immediate data retrieval?

No, Amazon Glacier is an archival service and does not provide real-time access to data. It requires a data retrieval process with time ranging from minutes to hours.

Which AWS Storage service would you use for a serverless, highly-scalable, NoSQL data store?

This can be achieved using Amazon DynamoDB, which is a key-value and document database that delivers single-digit millisecond performance at any scale.

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