Discover how AWS Storage Gateway’s Tape Gateway helps extend physical tape libraries to the cloud, offering scalable, secure, and cost-effective backup solutions for businesses. Learn why it’s the best choice for replacing traditional tape infrastructures.
Table of Contents
Question
A company has a physical tape library for storing data backups. The tape library is running out of space. The company needs to extend the tape library capacity to the AWS cloud. Which AWS service should the company use to meet this requirement?
A. Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS)
B. Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS)
C. Amazon S3
D. AWS Storage Gateway
Answer
D. AWS Storage Gateway
Explanation
AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that provides on-premises access to virtually unlimited cloud storage. You can use AWS Storage Gateway to simplify storage management and reduce costs for hybrid cloud storage use cases. One of these use cases is tape-based backup, which allows you to store data backups on virtual tapes in the AWS cloud.
The correct answer is AWS Storage Gateway, specifically its Tape Gateway feature. Tape Gateway is designed to seamlessly integrate with existing on-premises tape-based backup workflows while extending storage capacity to the AWS cloud. Here’s why it fits the scenario:
Key Features of Tape Gateway
- Virtual Tape Library (VTL): Tape Gateway emulates a physical tape library by presenting a virtual tape library interface to your backup application using the iSCSI protocol. This allows you to continue using your existing backup software without modifications.
- Cloud Integration: Data written to virtual tapes is stored in Amazon S3 and can be archived in cost-effective storage tiers like Amazon S3 Glacier Flexible Retrieval or Amazon S3 Glacier Deep Archive for long-term retention.
- Scalability and Cost Efficiency: Unlike physical tape libraries, Tape Gateway provides virtually unlimited storage capacity in the cloud, eliminating the need for purchasing and maintaining additional hardware.
- Enhanced Durability: Data stored in AWS achieves 99.999999999% durability, far exceeding the reliability of physical tapes.
- Security: Tape Gateway encrypts data during transfer and at rest, ensuring secure backups.
Why Other Options Are Incorrect
A. Amazon Elastic File System (Amazon EFS): EFS is a fully managed file storage service designed for shared access across multiple instances. It does not emulate tape libraries or support traditional tape-based workflows.
B. Amazon Elastic Block Store (Amazon EBS): EBS provides block storage for use with EC2 instances but is not designed for backup workflows or tape library replacement.
C. Amazon S3: While S3 is used as the backend storage for Tape Gateway, it does not directly integrate with on-premises tape libraries or provide a VTL interface.
Use Case Alignment
Tape Gateway is specifically tailored for organizations looking to replace or augment their physical tape libraries with cloud-based virtual tapes while maintaining compatibility with existing backup systems. This makes it the ideal solution for companies facing space constraints in their physical tape infrastructure.
By leveraging AWS Storage Gateway’s Tape Gateway, businesses can transition to a scalable and cost-effective cloud-based solution without disrupting their current backup processes.
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