AWS Storage Extras - Datasync/Different Storage Options

Question 1

What is AWS DataSync?

Answer 1

AWS DataSync is a service for moving and synchronizing large amounts of data between on-premises, other cloud locations, and AWS services such as Amazon S3, EFS, or FSx. It supports scheduled tasks and preserves metadata and file permissions.

Question 2

What AWS services can AWS DataSync synchronize data with?

Answer 2

Amazon S3 (all storage classes, including Glacier)
Amazon EFS
Amazon FSx (all file systems)

Question 3

Is AWS DataSync a continuous or scheduled service?

Answer 3

AWS DataSync is scheduled, meaning tasks can run hourly, daily, or weekly, but not continuously.

Question 4

Does AWS DataSync preserve file metadata and permissions?

Answer 4

Yes, AWS DataSync preserves metadata and file permissions, including compliance with NFS POSIX and SMB security models.

Question 5

Can AWS DataSync work in reverse, from AWS to on-premises?

Answer 5

Yes, AWS DataSync can synchronize data from AWS storage services back to on-premises servers.

Question 6

What alternative can you use if your network capacity is insufficient for DataSync?

Answer 6

You can use an AWS Snowcone device, which comes pre-installed with the DataSync agent. It collects data on-premises and is shipped to AWS for synchronization.

Question 7

Can AWS DataSync synchronize data between AWS storage services?

Answer 7

Yes, AWS DataSync can synchronize data between services like Amazon S3, EFS, and FSx, while preserving metadata and permissions.

Question 8

Amazon S3 (Object Storage)

Answer 8

Use Case: Store and retrieve unstructured data as objects (e.g., images, videos, backups).
Key Features: Highly scalable, secure, durable, and supports a variety of storage classes.
Archiving: Use S3 Glacier for cost-effective, long-term data archiving.

Question 9

Amazon EBS (Block Storage)

Answer 9

Use Case: Attach storage to a single EC2 instance for persistent block-level storage.
Key Features:
Multiple volume types (e.g., GP3 for general-purpose, IO1/IO2 for high-performance).
Multi-Attach: Allows IO1/IO2 volumes to be attached to multiple EC2 instances.

Question 10

EC2 Instance Store (Ephemeral Storage)

Answer 10

Use Case: Temporary, high-performance storage directly attached to EC2 instances.
Key Features:
Very high IOPS.
Data persists only during the lifecycle of the instance.

Question 11

Amazon EFS (Network File System)

Answer 11

Use Case: Shared file storage for Linux-based workloads across multiple availability zones.
Key Features:
POSIX-compliant.
Automatically scales based on usage.

Question 12

Amazon FSx (Specialized File Systems)

Answer 12

FSx for Windows File Server: For Windows-based workloads with SMB support.
FSx for Lustre: High-performance computing with Lustre file system for HPC and ML workloads.
FSx for NetApp ONTAP: Network file system with NetApp ONTAP compatibility.
FSx for OpenZFS: Managed ZFS file system for advanced storage features.

Question 13

Databases

Answer 13

Use Case: Store structured data with indexing and querying capabilities.
Examples: RDS, DynamoDB, Aurora (covered in separate sections).