AWS Curriculum Overview: Cloud Practitioner - File Storage Services

This curriculum covers the core file storage services in AWS, specifically focusing on Amazon Elastic File System (EFS) and Amazon FSx, as outlined in Task Statement 3.6 of the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) exam.

Prerequisites

Before beginning this module, students should have a baseline understanding of the following concepts:

• Cloud Fundamentals: Understanding the difference between Managed and Unmanaged services.
• Compute Basics: Familiarity with Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances.
• Networking Foundations: Basic knowledge of Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), subnets, and security groups.
• Storage Paradigms: A high-level understanding of the difference between Block Storage (EBS) and Object Storage (S3).
• Protocols: General awareness of file sharing protocols such as NFS (Network File System) and SMB (Server Message Block).

Module Breakdown

Learning Objectives per Module

Module 1: Amazon Elastic File System (EFS)

• Identify EFS as a managed NFS file system for Linux workloads.
• Explain the benefits of multi-AZ availability and automatic scaling (up to petabytes).
• Understand lifecycle management for cost optimization between storage tiers.

Module 2: Amazon FSx

• Distinguish between the four flavors of FSx: Windows File Server, Lustre, OpenZFS, and NetApp ONTAP.
• Recognize use cases for FSx for Windows (SMB, NTFS, Active Directory integration).
• Identify FSx for Lustre as the solution for High-Performance Computing (HPC) and big data.

Module 3: Storage Gateway & Transfer Family

• Define the AWS Storage Gateway as a "bridge" for on-premises to cloud storage.
• Recognize the AWS Transfer Family's role in migrating data via FTP/SFTP/FTPS.

Visual Anchors

File Service Decision Tree

Hybrid Connectivity Architecture

Examples section

[!TIP] In the exam, if the scenario mentions Linux and Shared Storage, think EFS. If it mentions Windows, SMB, or Active Directory, think FSx for Windows.

Case Study 1: Web Serving Farm

• Scenario: A company runs a fleet of 20 Linux EC2 instances hosting a website. They need a shared directory for user-uploaded images.
• Solution: Amazon EFS. It allows all 20 instances to mount the same file system simultaneously using NFSv4.

Case Study 2: Legacy Windows Application

• Scenario: A financial firm is migrating a legacy accounting app that requires a Windows-native file system with NTFS permissions.
• Solution: Amazon FSx for Windows File Server. It provides fully managed Windows storage that integrates directly with their existing Microsoft Active Directory.

Case Study 3: Seismic Data Processing

• Scenario: A research team needs to process massive datasets for oil and gas exploration using a Linux cluster.
• Solution: Amazon FSx for Lustre. Optimized for high-performance computing and sub-millisecond latencies.

Success Metrics

To demonstrate mastery of this curriculum, the student must:

1. Correctly identify which service (EFS vs FSx) to use in 100% of practice scenario questions.
2. Define the primary protocol for EFS (NFSv4) and FSx for Windows (SMB).
3. Explain the cost-benefit of EFS Lifecycle Management.
4. Distinguish between the four types of AWS Storage Gateway (S3 File, FSx File, Volume, and Tape).

Real-World Application

In professional environments, mastering these services allows Cloud Practitioners to:

• Modernize Infrastructure: Move away from managing physical NAS (Network Attached Storage) or SAN (Storage Area Network) hardware.
• Optimize Costs: Use EFS IA (Infrequent Access) to store data that isn't accessed daily at a lower price point ($Cost_{IA} < Cost_{Standard}$).
• Enable Collaboration: Create shared environments where developers can access the same code repositories or data assets across multiple global regions.