AWS Snowball Edge | AWS Greengrass

Question 1

Can I update my Lambda function in my Snowball Edge cluster while it is on premise?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 1

No. You cannot update your Lambda function on premise.

Question 2

What is AWS Greengrass?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 2

Snowball Edge comes with an embedded version of AWS Greengrass which allows you to execute Python-language AWS Lambda functions in response to S3 PUT object events.

Question 3

What AWS Greengrass features are available on Snowball Edge?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 3

Greengrass Core running on Snowball Edge enables you to deploy Python-based Lambda functions to Snowball Edge devices and trigger those Lambdas through MQTT messages. When you create a job for a Snowball Edge with at least one Lambda function pre-loaded, the Snowball Edge is provisioned as a Greengrass Core device by default. Whenever the Snowball Edge is connected to the internet, you can update, add, or remove Lambda functions on the device through the Greengrass console. You can even host Lambda functions that are triggered by MQTT messages other than an S3 PUT. Additionally, you can also update the associated Greengrass group in the Greengrass console and use the device in your group as any other Greengrass Core device.

Question 4

What are some possible use cases for Greengrass on Snowball Edge?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 4

Using Greengrass Core on Snowball Edge, you can write custom Lambda functions to provide local processing or pre-processing of data as it is written to the Snowball Edge device via S3 PUT operations and the S3-compatible endpoint available. You can also use the Snowball Edge as the core of your Greengrass group of IoT things. This allows you to do things like collect and analyze sensor data streams or compress images in-real time.

Question 5

How do I use Greengrass on Snowball Edge?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 5

Using the AWS Snowball Management Console or the Job Management API, you can map new or existing Lambda functions to pre-configured S3 buckets on a Snowball Edge device before it is shipped to you. Once the device arrives, unlock it and connect it to the internet so Greengrass in the cloud can send the Snowball Edge the certificates it needs to operate as the core of your Greengrass group.

Question 6

What happens if I use AWS Greengrass on a Snowball Edge cluster?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 6

You can use Greengrass on a Snowball Edge cluster just as you would with a single Snowball Edge, with each cluster node being its own unique AWS Greengrass core device.

Question 7

How many Lambda functions can there be for each job?

AWS Greengrass

AWS Snowball Edge | Storage

Answer 7

At job creation, each Lambda function can be associated with a single S3 bucket on the Snowball Edge. Once you’ve received the device, unlocked it, and connected it to the internet, you can add, remove, or update Lambda functions as you see fit. If you allocated 128 MB of memory to each of your functions, you could have up to 7 Lambda functions at a time.