Storage Configurations on AWS⚓︎

Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)⚓︎

Amazon EBS offers versatile storage options with features tailored to various use cases:

Volume Types: EBS volumes function as virtual hard disks, supporting different types such as General Purpose (gp2), Provisioned IOPS (io1/io2), and more.
Snapshot Management: Snapshots, point-in-time copies of disks, reside on Amazon S3 and are incremental, capturing only changed blocks. The initial snapshot may take longer.
Multi-Attach Support: EBS volumes can be attached to multiple EC2 instances within the same Availability Zone, making it suitable for database workloads.
Dynamic Adjustments: Volumes allow dynamic resizing and storage type changes, providing flexibility in adapting to evolving needs.
Region and AZ Specific: EBS volumes are specific to a region but can be migrated to other AZs through snapshots.
Snapshot Archiving: EBS snapshot archives offer cost-effective storage, although restoration may take 24-72 hours.

Understanding AMI types aids in selecting suitable storage solutions for instances:

Instance Store: Provides high random I/O performance and is ephemeral. Data is lost if the host fails, and these instances can't be stopped.
EBS Backed Instances: Support stopping without data loss. Users can choose to retain root volumes on termination, offering more flexibility.
Boot Volumes: Various types like gp2, gp3, io1, io2, and magnetic (std), with EBS volumes specific to an AZ but migratable via snapshots.

Differentiating between encrypted and unencrypted AMIs is crucial for security considerations:

Cross-Region Copy: Copying an AMI to another region automatically generates a snapshot in the destination region.
Encryption Cascade: Snapshots of encrypted volumes and volumes from encrypted snapshots are both encrypted.
Sharing Restrictions: Unencrypted snapshots can be shared, while encrypted ones can only be shared with other AWS accounts or made public.
Root Device Encryption: Users can encrypt root device volumes upon EC2 instance creation or convert unencrypted volumes by creating encrypted snapshots.

Amazon EFS, designed for Linux-based systems, provides scalable and flexible file storage:

Multiple Mounting: EFS can be mounted on multiple EC2 instances using Security Groups for access control.
Performance Modes: General Purpose for latency-sensitive use cases and Max I/O for high throughput and parallelism.
Throughput Modes: Choose between Bursting (variable throughput) and Provisioned (consistent throughput) options.
Storage Tiers: Standard for frequently accessed files and Infrequent Access (EFS-IA) for cost-effective storage with retrieval costs.
Availability and Durability: Standard offers multi-AZ support, while One Zone is suitable for development with built-in backup.

Amazon FSx provides managed file systems with various types catering to specific needs:

Types: FSx for Windows File Server, FSx for Lustre, and FSx for NetApp ONTAP supporting NFS, SMB, and iSCSI protocols.
Features: FSx for Windows offers SMB and Windows NTFS support, Active Directory integration, user quotas, and daily S3 backups.
FSx for Lustre: Designed for high-performance computing with seamless integration with S3 for data processing.

AWS Storage Gateway facilitates hybrid cloud storage with support for different protocols:

Volume and Tape Backups: Volumes backed by EBS snapshots, tapes backed by S3 or S3 Glacier, supporting access to AWS storage classes.
SMB/NTFS Integration: Integrates with Windows Active Directory for seamless SMB/NTFS access.
Versatile Protocols: Supports S3, FSx (SMB/NTFS), tape (iSCSI), and volume (iSCSI) interfaces.

Storage Location: Stored in an S3 bucket within the same AWS region as the instance.
Snapshot Access: Direct access to snapshots in S3 is not provided, but sharing options are available.

AWS Snow Family includes various devices for offline data migration and edge computing:

Snowball Edge: Physical transport for TBs/PBs of data, offering block and S3-compatible object storage. Suitable for large data migrations.
Snowcone: Portable, lightweight, and rugged device for edge computing, with 8TB storage. Ideal for space-constrained environments.
Snowmobile: Transfers exabytes of data with 100PB capacity, suitable for massive data transfers.
Edge Computing Options: Snowcone, Snowball Edge (Compute and Storage Optimized), offering CPU and storage options for various use cases.

AWS OpsHub simplifies the management of Snow Family devices:

Device Management: Unlocking, configuring, and monitoring single or clustered devices.
File Transfer: Facilitates file transfers and launching compatible AWS services on devices.
Monitoring: Provides metrics monitoring for storage capacity and active instances.
User Interface: Offers a user-friendly interface, replacing the need for a CLI tool.

Object Replication: Replicates objects existing before configuring replication, ensuring consistency across regions.
Configurational Differences: Differs from live replication and requires special considerations for existing objects.

Efficient Copying: Uses copy object APIs for efficient copying between S3 buckets, considering versioning and last modified dates.
Error Recovery: In case of failures, the command can be rerun without duplicating previous copies, facilitating large data transfers.

Access Restriction: Restricts access to S3, ensuring access through intended CloudFront distributions. Replaces the previous Origin Access Identity (OAI).
Secure Configuration: Supports AWS KMS (SSE-KMS) for enhanced security, allowing dynamic requests to S3.

Access Restriction: Similar to OAC, it restricts S3 access, ensuring access through intended CloudFront distributions.
Authentication Control: Can be used to allow only authenticated access through CloudFront configurations.