Which Amazon EC2 instance purchasing option will meet these requirements MOST cost-effectively?
Spot Instances
Reserved Instances
Dedicated Hosts
On-Demand Instances
Explanations:
Spot Instances are typically used for flexible, interruptible workloads and can be terminated by AWS with little notice if the spot price exceeds the user’s maximum bid. This makes them unsuitable for a 3-year uninterrupted simulation.
Reserved Instances provide a significant cost saving (up to 75%) over On-Demand pricing for long-term commitments, such as a 3-year simulation. This option guarantees instance availability and pricing stability over the term.
Dedicated Hosts are physical servers dedicated to a single customer and provide more control over the instance placement. While they can be beneficial for compliance or licensing, they are typically more expensive than other options and are not the most cost-effective for running a continuous simulation.
On-Demand Instances are charged by the hour or second and are flexible, but they do not offer the same level of cost savings as Reserved Instances for long-term usage. Over 3 years, this option would likely result in significantly higher costs compared to Reserved Instances.