8. Block and File Storage

Difference between block, object, and file storage

Amazon EBS

Amazon EFS

Amazon FSx

AWS Storage Gateway

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AWS Storage Gateway

Last edited 149 days ago by Kirtan Chavda

AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that connects on-premises environments with cloud storage. It allows seamless integration of on-premises IT environments with Amazon S3, Amazon Glacier, and Amazon EBS, providing secure and scalable storage solutions. There are three types of gateways: File Gateway, Volume Gateway, and Tape Gateway.

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1. File Gateway

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Functionality:

File-based access to objects in S3: File Gateway presents a file interface to on-premises systems while storing data as objects in Amazon S3.

Protocols supported: Supports NFS and SMB protocols for accessing data.

Caching: Frequently accessed data is cached on-premises for low-latency access.

Data storage: Data written to the File Gateway is stored as S3 objects, retaining file metadata such as ownership, permissions, and timestamps.

Use Cases: File backups, content repositories, file shares, and data migration to S3.

Key Features:

Storage Classes: Supports all S3 storage classes including S3 Standard, S3 Standard-IA, S3 One Zone-IA, S3 Glacier, and S3 Glacier Deep Archive.

Durability and Availability: Leverages S3's durability and availability.

Cost Management: Helps manage storage costs with S3 lifecycle policies.

Integration: Easily integrates with on-premises applications and workflows.

2. Volume Gateway

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Functionality:

Block storage interface: Provides an iSCSI-based block storage interface to on-premises applications.

Two modes: Volume Gateway operates in two modes - Cached Volumes and Stored Volumes.

Cached Volumes:

Local cache: Stores frequently accessed data locally while keeping primary data in S3.

Low-latency access: Provides low-latency access to most frequently accessed data.

Volume size: Supports volumes up to 32 TiB.

Stored Volumes:

Primary data storage on-premises: Stores primary data on-premises and asynchronously backs up point-in-time snapshots to S3.

Disaster recovery: Provides disaster recovery by storing backups in AWS.

Volume size: Supports volumes up to 16 TiB.

Use Cases

Data backup and recovery: Backup on-premises data to the cloud and recover it when needed.

Hybrid cloud storage: Extend on-premises storage to the cloud for backup and DR.

Key Features:

Snapshots: Supports EBS snapshots for point-in-time backups, enabling fast restores.

Storage Efficiency: Incremental backups reduce storage costs and transfer times.

3. Tape Gateway

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Functionality:

Virtual tape library (VTL): Emulates a physical tape library with virtual tapes in the cloud.

Backup integration: Integrates with existing backup applications using the iSCSI interface.

Cost-effective: Virtual tapes are stored in S3 and can be archived in Glacier for cost savings.

Each gateway is preconfigured with a media changer and tape drives. Supported by NetBackup, Backup Exec, Veeam etc.

When creating virtual tapes, you select one of the following sizes: 100 GB, 200 GB, 400 GB, 800 GB, 1.5 TB, and 2.5 TB.

A tape gateway can have up to 1,500 virtual tapes with a maximum aggregate capacity of 1 PB.

All data transferred between the gateway and AWS storage is encrypted using SSL.

All data stored by tape gateway in S3 is encrypted server-side with Amazon S3-Managed Encryption Keys (SSE-S3).

Use Cases:

Tape replacement: Replaces traditional tape backup systems with a cloud-based solution.

Long-term retention: Store data long-term with low-cost Glacier storage.

Compliance: Meet regulatory compliance requirements for data retention.

Used for backup with popular backup software

Key Features:

Tape lifecycle management: Move virtual tapes between S3 and Glacier as needed.

Scalability: Scales to virtually unlimited capacity.

Secure and Durable: Benefits from the security and durability of AWS storage services.

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1. File Gateway

2. Volume Gateway

3. Tape Gateway

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