What is Amazon S3?
A) S3 is a block storage service that provides persistent volumes for EC2 instances.
B) Simple Storage Service – object storage. Stores any file type up to 5TB per object. Objects stored in buckets with globally unique names. 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability. Not mountable or bootable.
C) S3 is a relational database service optimised for storing structured binary objects.
D) S3 is a managed file system that multiple EC2 instances can mount simultaneously.
B) Simple Storage Service – object storage. Stores any file type up to 5TB per object. Objects stored in buckets with globally unique names. 99.999999999% (11 nines) durability. Not mountable or bootable.
What are the S3 storage classes and their use cases?
A) All S3 classes have the same durability; they differ only in cost and geographic redundancy.
B) Standard: frequent access, active data. | Intelligent-Tiering: unknown/changing access, auto-moves between tiers. | Standard-IA: infrequent access, disaster recovery/backups. | One Zone-IA: infrequent, secondary backups (single AZ). | Glacier Instant Retrieval: rare access but millisecond retrieval. | Glacier Flexible Retrieval: archives, 3-5hr retrieval. | Glacier Deep Archive: cheapest, 12-48hr retrieval, compliance.
C) S3 Standard-IA is the default class; Standard is only used for compliance archive data.
D) S3 Standard is for archives; Glacier is for active data; One Zone-IA is for critical production data.
B) Standard: frequent access, active data. | Intelligent-Tiering: unknown/changing access, auto-moves between tiers. | Standard-IA: infrequent access, disaster recovery/backups. | One Zone-IA: infrequent, secondary backups (single AZ). | Glacier Instant Retrieval: rare access but millisecond retrieval. | Glacier Flexible Retrieval: archives, 3-5hr retrieval. | Glacier Deep Archive: cheapest, 12-48hr retrieval, compliance.
What is S3 Intelligent-Tiering?
A) Intelligent-Tiering manually classifies objects into tiers based on size and file type.
B) Intelligent-Tiering stores all objects in a single tier to simplify cost management.
C) Intelligent-Tiering charges a premium retrieval fee every time an object is accessed.
D) Automatically moves objects between access tiers based on changing access patterns. No retrieval fees. Ideal when access frequency is unknown or variable.
D) Automatically moves objects between access tiers based on changing access patterns. No retrieval fees. Ideal when access frequency is unknown or variable.
What is the retrieval time for each Glacier tier?
A) Glacier Instant: 3–5 hours. Flexible Retrieval: 12–48 hours. Deep Archive: milliseconds.
B) Glacier Instant Retrieval: milliseconds. | Glacier Flexible Retrieval: Expedited 1-5 min, Standard 3-5 hrs, Bulk 5-12 hrs. | Glacier Deep Archive: 12-48 hours.
C) Glacier Instant: 1–5 hours. Glacier Flexible: milliseconds. Deep Archive: 3–5 hours.
D) All Glacier tiers take 12–48 hours regardless of retrieval option selected.
B) Glacier Instant Retrieval: milliseconds. | Glacier Flexible Retrieval: Expedited 1-5 min, Standard 3-5 hrs, Bulk 5-12 hrs. | Glacier Deep Archive: 12-48 hours.
What are the key S3 features beyond storage?
A) S3 supports managed relational queries, auto-archiving to EBS, and direct SFTP access.
B) S3 supports SQL queries, auto-scaling compute, and built-in CDN delivery without CloudFront.
C) Versioning (multiple object versions), Lifecycle policies (auto-move/delete objects), Cross-Region Replication (CRR), Same-Region Replication (SRR), Static website hosting, S3 Transfer Acceleration (fast uploads via CloudFront edge locations).
D) S3 supports mounting as a block device on EC2, real-time stream processing, and built-in DNS.
C) Versioning (multiple object versions), Lifecycle policies (auto-move/delete objects), Cross-Region Replication (CRR), Same-Region Replication (SRR), Static website hosting, S3 Transfer Acceleration (fast uploads via CloudFront edge locations).
What is Amazon EBS?
A) EBS is an object storage service that stores files in a flat namespace like S3.
B) Elastic Block Store – block storage for EC2 instances (like a virtual hard drive). Persists independently from EC2 lifecycle. AZ-specific (must be in same AZ as EC2). Supports snapshots backed to S3. Can be mounted and booted.
C) EBS is a shared file system that multiple EC2 instances can mount simultaneously via NFS.
D) EBS is a managed backup service that automatically archives EC2 instance configurations.
B) Elastic Block Store – block storage for EC2 instances (like a virtual hard drive). Persists independently from EC2 lifecycle. AZ-specific (must be in same AZ as EC2). Supports snapshots backed to S3. Can be mounted and booted.
What are the EBS volume types?
A) All EBS volume types deliver the same IOPS; they differ only in cost and storage capacity.
B) gp3: for databases only. io2: for boot volumes. st1: for random I/O workloads. sc1: for streaming.
C) SSD volumes are for HDD workloads; HDD volumes are for SSD workloads — they are interchangeable.
D) gp3/gp2: General Purpose SSD (general workloads, boot volumes). | io2 Block Express/io1: Provisioned IOPS SSD (high-performance/I-O intensive DBs, up to 256,000 IOPS). | st1: Throughput Optimized HDD (big data, data warehouses). | sc1: Cold HDD (infrequently accessed, lowest cost HDD).
D) gp3/gp2: General Purpose SSD (general workloads, boot volumes). | io2 Block Express/io1: Provisioned IOPS SSD (high-performance/I-O intensive DBs, up to 256,000 IOPS). | st1: Throughput Optimized HDD (big data, data warehouses). | sc1: Cold HDD (infrequently accessed, lowest cost HDD).
What is Amazon EFS?
A) EFS is a block storage service attached to a single EC2 instance in one AZ.
B) EFS is a managed database service that stores application configuration files as key-value pairs.
C) Elastic File System – managed NFS (Network File System) for Linux. Shared storage – multiple EC2 instances can mount simultaneously. Scales automatically across multiple AZs. Cannot be used as boot volume. More expensive than EBS.
D) EFS is an object storage service similar to S3 but with a hierarchical directory structure.
C) Elastic File System – managed NFS (Network File System) for Linux. Shared storage – multiple EC2 instances can mount simultaneously. Scales automatically across multiple AZs. Cannot be used as boot volume. More expensive than EBS.
EFS vs EBS – full comparison?
A) Both EFS and EBS are mountable by multiple instances simultaneously across regions.
B) EFS uses block protocol; EBS uses NFS. Both support mounting by multiple instances.
C) EFS: NFS protocol, multiple instances simultaneously, Linux only, multi-AZ, auto-scaling, cannot boot. | EBS: block (iSCSI), mostly single instance, Linux and Windows, single AZ, manually provisioned, can boot.
D) EBS is multi-AZ and auto-scales; EFS is single-AZ and requires manual sizing.
C) EFS: NFS protocol, multiple instances simultaneously, Linux only, multi-AZ, auto-scaling, cannot boot. | EBS: block (iSCSI), mostly single instance, Linux and Windows, single AZ, manually provisioned, can boot.
What is an EC2 Instance Store?
A) Temporary block-level storage physically attached to the host. Data is lost if the instance is stopped and started (or terminated). Very high performance but not persistent – do not use for data you need to keep.
B) Instance Store is an S3-backed cache that provides faster access to frequently used objects.
C) Instance Store is a managed EBS volume that is automatically attached to every EC2 instance.
D) Instance Store is a durable block storage option that persists through instance restarts.
A) Temporary block-level storage physically attached to the host. Data is lost if the instance is stopped and started (or terminated). Very high performance but not persistent – do not use for data you need to keep.
What is AWS Storage Gateway?
A) Storage Gateway is a managed FTP service for transferring files between on-premises and S3.
B) Hybrid storage service connecting on-premises environments to AWS cloud storage. Types: File Gateway, Volume Gateway, Tape Gateway.
C) Storage Gateway is a Snow Family device used for physical bulk data transfer to AWS.
D) Storage Gateway is a VPN service that encrypts data between on-premises storage and AWS.
B) Hybrid storage service connecting on-premises environments to AWS cloud storage. Types: File Gateway, Volume Gateway, Tape Gateway.
What is the AWS Snow Family?
A) Snow Family devices connect to AWS via Direct Connect for continuous data replication.
B) Snowcone holds 1 PB; Snowball holds 100 PB; Snowmobile holds 1 EB.
C) Snow Family devices run entirely in the cloud and have no physical hardware component.
D) Physical devices for large-scale data transfer to/from AWS. | Snowcone: smallest (8TB SSD or HDD), rugged, edge computing. | Snowball Edge: 80-210TB, edge computing capabilities. | Snowmobile: 100PB, a 45-foot ruggedised shipping container – exabyte-scale migrations.
D) Physical devices for large-scale data transfer to/from AWS. | Snowcone: smallest (8TB SSD or HDD), rugged, edge computing. | Snowball Edge: 80-210TB, edge computing capabilities. | Snowmobile: 100PB, a 45-foot ruggedised shipping container – exabyte-scale migrations.
What are the 3 types of storage (object, block, file) and their AWS services?
A) Object: EFS (hierarchical). Block: S3 (flat). File: EBS (mountable).
B) All three types are provided by S3 using different storage classes.
C) Object: EBS. Block: EFS. File: S3. Each maps to a different access pattern.
D) Object storage: Amazon S3 – flat structure, no mounting, good for media/backups/static sites. | Block storage: Amazon EBS – mountable/bootable, AZ-specific. | File storage: Amazon EFS – hierarchical, shared NFS mount, multi-AZ.
D) Object storage: Amazon S3 – flat structure, no mounting, good for media/backups/static sites. | Block storage: Amazon EBS – mountable/bootable, AZ-specific. | File storage: Amazon EFS – hierarchical, shared NFS mount, multi-AZ.
What is Amazon EC2?
A) EC2 is a serverless compute service where AWS fully manages the underlying servers.
B) EC2 is a container orchestration service for running Docker workloads at scale.
C) Elastic Compute Cloud – virtual machines (IaaS) in the cloud. Full control over OS, applications, and configuration. Customer is responsible for OS patches, security configurations. Can be provisioned in minutes.
D) EC2 is a managed PaaS platform where you only provide application code.
C) Elastic Compute Cloud – virtual machines (IaaS) in the cloud. Full control over OS, applications, and configuration. Customer is responsible for OS patches, security configurations. Can be provisioned in minutes.
What are the EC2 instance families?
A) Accelerated Computing instances use NVMe SSDs; all other families use network-attached EBS.
B) General Purpose (t, m): balanced compute/memory/network. | Compute Optimised (c): high-performance CPUs, batch processing, ML. | Memory Optimised (r, x): large in-memory datasets, databases. | Storage Optimised (i, d, h): high I/O sequential read/write, big data. | Accelerated Computing (p, g, f): GPU/FPGA, graphics, data pattern matching.
C) t = compute optimised, c = memory optimised, r = storage optimised, p = general purpose.
D) All instance families provide identical performance; they differ only in price.
B) General Purpose (t, m): balanced compute/memory/network. | Compute Optimised (c): high-performance CPUs, batch processing, ML. | Memory Optimised (r, x): large in-memory datasets, databases. | Storage Optimised (i, d, h): high I/O sequential read/write, big data. | Accelerated Computing (p, g, f): GPU/FPGA, graphics, data pattern matching.
How do you decode an EC2 instance type name like t3.micro?
A) t = size tier, 3 = number of vCPUs, micro = the instance family name.
B) The full name is arbitrary — AWS assigns names randomly from an internal catalogue.
C) t = family (General Purpose), 3 = generation, micro = size.
D) t = compute type (turbo), 3 = generation, micro = memory allocation.
C) t = family (General Purpose), 3 = generation, micro = size.
What is an AMI (Amazon Machine Image)?
A) An AMI is a CloudFormation template that provisions EC2 instances and attached resources.
B) An AMI is an IAM permission set that controls who can launch EC2 instances.
C) An AMI is a running EC2 instance snapshot used to create EBS backups.
D) A template for launching an EC2 instance – defines the OS, pre-installed software, and configuration. AWS provides many AMIs; you can also create custom AMIs.
D) A template for launching an EC2 instance – defines the OS, pre-installed software, and configuration. AWS provides many AMIs; you can also create custom AMIs.
What are EC2 Key Pairs?
A) Key Pairs are SSL certificates provisioned by ACM for HTTPS on EC2 instances.
B) Key Pairs are encryption keys managed by KMS for encrypting EBS volumes.
C) Used for SSH authentication into EC2 instances. A public/private key pair – public key stored on instance, private key (.pem file) kept by user.
D) Key Pairs are IAM access keys used to authenticate CLI commands to EC2.
C) Used for SSH authentication into EC2 instances. A public/private key pair – public key stored on instance, private key (.pem file) kept by user.
What is EC2 User Data?
A) User Data is the IAM role attached to the EC2 instance at launch time.
B) A script that runs automatically on the instance at first boot. Used to install software, configure settings, or perform startup tasks.
C) User Data is the EBS snapshot used to restore the instance to a previous state.
D) User Data is metadata about the EC2 instance accessible from within the instance.
B) A script that runs automatically on the instance at first boot. Used to install software, configure settings, or perform startup tasks.
What is EC2 Instance Metadata?
A) Data about the running instance accessible at the IP address 169.254.169.254. Contains instance ID, instance type, IAM role credentials, etc.
B) Instance Metadata is the CloudWatch metrics endpoint for the instance.
C) Instance Metadata is the EC2 billing data used to calculate the hourly charge.
D) Instance Metadata is the User Data script stored and retrievable after execution.
A) Data about the running instance accessible at the IP address 169.254.169.254. Contains instance ID, instance type, IAM role credentials, etc.
What is an Elastic IP?
A) An Elastic IP is a private IP that persists across instance stop/start cycles within a subnet.
B) A static IPv4 address for dynamic cloud computing. Free when attached to a running instance; charged ($0.005/hr) when unattached.
C) An Elastic IP is an IPv6 address automatically assigned to all EC2 instances.
D) An Elastic IP is a DNS name that maps to the public IP of a running EC2 instance.
B) A static IPv4 address for dynamic cloud computing. Free when attached to a running instance; charged ($0.005/hr) when unattached.
What are EC2 Placement Groups?
A) Placement Groups control which IAM roles can launch instances in a specific subnet.
B) Placement Groups are billing constructs for grouping EC2 instances for Reserved Instance pricing.
C) Control how instances are placed on underlying hardware. Types: Cluster (low latency, same AZ), Spread (different hardware, max availability), Partition (groups of instances on different hardware).
D) Placement Groups are Auto Scaling configurations that define minimum and maximum capacity.
C) Control how instances are placed on underlying hardware. Types: Cluster (low latency, same AZ), Spread (different hardware, max availability), Partition (groups of instances on different hardware).
What is an Auto Scaling Group (ASG)?
A) An ASG is a reserved instance pool that pre-warms instances for predictable workloads.
B) An ASG is a load balancer that distributes traffic evenly across a fixed set of EC2 instances.
C) Automatically adjusts EC2 capacity based on demand. Uses a Launch Template to define instance specs. Scaling policies: Target Tracking (maintain metric), Step Scaling (scale by amounts), Scheduled (at specific times). Auto-replaces unhealthy instances.
D) An ASG is a CloudFormation resource that provisions EC2 instances from an AMI template.
C) Automatically adjusts EC2 capacity based on demand. Uses a Launch Template to define instance specs. Scaling policies: Target Tracking (maintain metric), Step Scaling (scale by amounts), Scheduled (at specific times). Auto-replaces unhealthy instances.
What are the EC2 pricing models?
A) On-Demand, Reserved, Spot, and Free Tier only — Savings Plans are a DynamoDB feature.
B) Per-CPU, Per-GB-RAM, Per-GB-Storage, Per-Request, and Per-Transfer pricing models.
C) On-Demand: hourly/second, no commitment. | Reserved (1 or 3yr): up to 72% off. | Spot: up to 90% off, interruptible with 2-min warning. | Savings Plans: flexible commitment, up to 66% off. | Dedicated Host: dedicated physical server (BYOL), up to 70% with RI. | Dedicated Instance: dedicated hardware for compliance, AWS manages host. | Note: stopped instances still incur a small charge for attached EBS storage.
D) Free, Basic, Standard, Premium, and Enterprise pricing tiers.
C) On-Demand: hourly/second, no commitment. | Reserved (1 or 3yr): up to 72% off. | Spot: up to 90% off, interruptible with 2-min warning. | Savings Plans: flexible commitment, up to 66% off. | Dedicated Host: dedicated physical server (BYOL), up to 70% with RI. | Dedicated Instance: dedicated hardware for compliance, AWS manages host. | Note: stopped instances still incur a small charge for attached EBS storage.
