Q9: Extending On-Premises SMB Storage With Automatic File Lifecycle Management
An SMB file server is running out of capacity, but the most recently created files need low-latency access while older files can move to cheaper storage automatically.
Problem Info
| Domain | Design Cost-Optimized Architectures |
| Services | AWS Storage Gateway (S3 File Gateway), S3 Lifecycle policies |
| Difficulty | Medium |
Question
A company runs an SMB file server on-premises. Large files are accessed frequently for the first 7 days, then rarely touched. Total data is close to filling the on-prem storage capacity. A solutions architect must increase available storage without losing low-latency access to recently accessed files, and must also provide file lifecycle management to prevent future storage issues.
Which solution meets these requirements?
Correct Answer
Deploy an Amazon S3 File Gateway to extend the on-premises storage into S3. Set an S3 Lifecycle policy to transition objects to S3 Glacier Deep Archive after 7 days.
Why this is correct
This is a hybrid storage problem with two distinct needs: low-latency access to fresh files, and automatic cost control for stale files.
S3 File Gateway (part of AWS Storage Gateway) presents an SMB/NFS file share on-premises, backed transparently by an S3 bucket in the cloud. Recently written/accessed files are cached locally on the gateway’s storage, giving low-latency access exactly like the existing file server — while the actual objects live durably in S3, immediately increasing the effective capacity beyond what local disks alone could hold. This satisfies “increase available storage space without losing low-latency access.”
Because every file written through the gateway becomes a real S3 object, you can attach a standard S3 Lifecycle policy to the bucket: after 7 days (matching the observed access pattern), objects automatically transition to S3 Glacier Deep Archive — the cheapest S3 storage class, appropriate for data that’s rarely accessed. This is fully automated “file lifecycle management,” requiring no ongoing manual intervention — directly solving the “avoid future storage issues” requirement as data keeps growing.
Why the alternatives fall short
- Just add more local disks / a bigger on-prem NAS — solves capacity temporarily but doesn’t address lifecycle management, and the company will hit the same ceiling again later; it’s not a scalable fix.
- Amazon FSx for Windows File Server — a fully cloud-hosted SMB file system, great if the company wants to move the file server entirely to AWS, but the requirement here is to extend existing on-premises storage, not replace it outright, making File Gateway the closer fit for a hybrid extension.
- Manually move old files to S3 via a scheduled script, then delete locally — technically achievable, but it’s custom-built lifecycle management the company has to write and maintain — the opposite of the fully managed automation an S3 Lifecycle policy provides “for free” once files are in S3.
Exam Tip
“On-premises file server, low-latency access to recent files, running low on capacity, needs automated tiering” → S3 File Gateway + S3 Lifecycle policy. Remember Storage Gateway’s three flavors for the exam: File Gateway (SMB/NFS share backed by S3), Volume Gateway (iSCSI block storage, cached or stored mode), and Tape Gateway (virtual tape library backed by S3/Glacier, for backup software that expects physical tapes).