A research lab stores reproducible simulation output that is infrequently accessed. If the lab can tolerate the total loss of the data should an entire Availability Zone fail, which infrequent-access storage class minimises cost compared to its multi-AZ equivalent?
- S3 Standard-Infrequent Access
- S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
- S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval
- S3 Intelligent-Tiering
Correct answer: B. S3 One Zone-Infrequent Access
S3 One Zone-IA stores object data in only a single Availability Zone, which makes it less expensive than S3 Standard-IA, but it is explicitly documented as not resilient to the physical loss of that Availability Zone from disasters such as fire, flood, or earthquake. AWS recommends it specifically for data that can be re-created if the AZ fails, which matches the reproducible simulation output described. S3 Standard-IA stores data redundantly across at least three Availability Zones and costs more precisely because it protects against AZ loss, which the lab does not need to pay for here. S3 Glacier Instant Retrieval is also multi-AZ and is designed for archive data accessed roughly once a quarter with a 90-day minimum duration, not the cheapest option for this profile. S3 Intelligent-Tiering is also multi-AZ resilient and adds a monitoring fee, so it does not offer the single-AZ cost saving the question asks for.
Source: AWS S3 documentation: Understanding and managing Amazon S3 storage classes — S3 One Zone-IA durability and recommended use