Storage Gateway Flashcards
This deck aims to help retain concepts related to the Storage Gateway service.
Which AWS service enables hybrid cloud storage by providing on-premises data centers with access to virtually unlimited cloud storage through standard storage protocols like iSCSI, SMB, and NFS?
AWS Storage Gateway
What are the types of AWS Storage Gateway?
- Volume Gateway
- Tape Gateway (Virtual Tape Library - VTL)
- File Gateway
How can AWS Storage Gateway be deployed for integration with on-premises environment?
- As a virtual machine (VM) on platforms like VMware, Hyper-V, or Linux KVM
- As an Amazon EC2 instance within a VPC
How is AWS Volume Storage Gateway deployed?
As a virtual machine on-premises or as a hardware appliance, serving as a bridge between on-premises storage and AWS storage
Which protocols does AWS Volume Storage Gateway support?
- iSCSI
- NFS (Linux systems)
- SMB (Windows systems)
Which AWS services are natively integrated with AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
- EBS
- S3
- S3 Glacier
What are the common use cases for AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
- On-premises to AWS migrations
- Storage extensions to AWS
- Tiered storage solutions
- Disaster recovery and backup system replacement
In which modes can AWS Volume Storage Gateway operate?
- Stored volumes
- Cached volumes
How does an on-premises data center communicate with AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
- Over the public internet to a public storage gateway endpoint
- Via AWS Direct Connect (DX) using a Public Virtual Interface (VIF)
Can EBS Snapshots be created from raw data stored in S3 through AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
Yes, raw data in S3 can be used to create snapshots, which can then be used to provision EBS volumes
In which AWS Volume Storage Gateway mode is all data stored locally on the gateway’s on-premises storage, while also asynchronously copied to S3 in an AWS-managed area that is accessible only through the AWS Storage Gateway console?
Stored volume mode
In which AWS Volume Storage Gateway mode is all data primarily stored in S3, with only frequently accessed data cached locally, and the AWS-managed area is accessible only through the storage gateway console?
Cached volume mode
What are the advantages and limitations of using AWS Volume Storage Gateway in stored volume mode?
Advantages:
- Enables full disk backups with reliable Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO)
- Supports disaster recovery by allowing EBS snapshots to create EBS volumes
Limitations:
- Does not support data center extension for capacity increase, as data is primarily stored on the gateway’s local storage
What is the primary benefit of AWS Volume Storage Gateway in cached volume mode?
Provides data center extension by increasing storage capacity, as data is stored remotely in the AWS-managed S3 area
Which AWS Volume Storage Gateway mode uses an upload buffer and local storage?
Stored volume mode
Which AWS Storage Gateway modes utilize an upload buffer and local cached storage for actively used data?
- Volume Storage Gateway in Cached volume mode
- Tape Storage Gateway (Virtual Tape Library - VTL)
What is the maximum number of volumes supported by AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
32 volumes
What is the total storage capacity supported by AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
- Stored mode: Up to 512 TB
- Cached mode: Up to 1 PB
What is the maximum volume size supported per AWS Volume Storage Gateway?
- Stored mode: Up to 16 TB per volume
- Cached mode: Up to 32 TB per volume
Which AWS Storage Gateway type provides a Virtual Tape Library (VTL) backed by S3 and a Virtual Tape Shelf (VTS) backed by Glacier or Glacier Deep Archive?
AWS Tape Storage Gateway
How does an on-premises data center communicate with an AWS Tape Storage Gateway?
Through the public network using a public Storage Gateway endpoint or via AWS Direct Connect (DX) Public Virtual Interface (VIF)
What protocol is supported by AWS Tape Storage Gateway?
iSCSI
How does AWS Tape Gateway interact with a backup server for tape-based workloads?
Through iSCSI interface (endpoint) that emulates a physical tape library
What is the size range of virtual tapes in AWS Tape Storage Gateway?
From 100 GiB to 5 TiB, with 5 TiB being the maximum size of an S3 object
What is the total storage capacity for all virtual tapes in AWS Tape Storage Gateway?
1 PiB of data
What is the maximum number of virtual tapes supported by AWS Tape Storage Gateway?
1500 virtual tapes
Where can virtual tapes be exported in AWS Tape Storage Gateway for unlimited storage?
The Virtual Tape Shelf (VTS):
- Glacier: For data that might need occasional access
- Glacier Deep Archive: For long-term storage of data required for legal or compliance purposes, unlikely to be accessed
Can virtual tapes in AWS Tape Storage Gateway be accessed when moved to Glacier for storage?
Yes, virtual tapes can be retrieved back into the Virtual Tape Library (VTL) for access by AWS Tape Storage Gateway
What are the main use cases for AWS Tape Storage Gateway?
- Replaces expensive hardware components of existing backup systems with AWS storage
- Extends backup system capacity using AWS
- Facilitates migration of VTL backups to the cloud
Which AWS Storage Gateway type is best suited for traditional tape backup architectures?
AWS Tape (VTL) Storage Gateway
What is a Tape Drive?
A device that reads from or writes to a tape sequentially, unlike SSDs or HDDs that support random access
What are Tape Loaders?
Robots that automate the swapping of tapes in and out of tape drives
What are Tape Slots?
Storage locations within a tape library for tapes not currently in a drive
What does a Tape Library consist of?
- One or more drives
- One or more loaders
- One or more slots
What action is required to locate specific data on a tape?
The entire tape must be sequentially searched (no random access like SSDs or HDDs)
Can data on a tape be updated?
No, data on tape can only be overwritten, not updated
Which AWS Storage Gateway type bridges on-premises file storage with S3 and provides mount points (shares) via NFS for Linux systems and SMB for Windows systems?
AWS File Storage Gateway
Which AWS Storage Gateway type stores files as objects directly in an S3 bucket, making them visible unlike other types where data is stored in raw format in AWS-managed S3 areas?
AWS File Storage Gateway
How does AWS File Storage Gateway link file shares to S3 buckets?
Each file share is directly mapped to a single S3 bucket, establishing a one-to-one connection
What protocols can be used to access file shares in AWS File Storage Gateway?
- NFS (for Linux)
- SMB (for Windows)
Which AWS Storage Gateway type integrates with directory authentication?
AWS File Storage Gateway
Which AWS Storage Gateway type uses local storage as a read-and-write cache for improved performance?
AWS File Storage Gateway, providing LAN-like performance through caching
What is the maximum number of file shares supported by AWS File Storage Gateway?
Up to 50 file shares per File Storage Gateway
When using AWS File Storage Gateway, is the directory structure of on-premises file shares maintained in the corresponding S3 object names?
Yes, the structure of file shares is reflected in the S3 object names
Does AWS File Storage Gateway store data locally on-premises?
No, data is stored in AWS S3, only cache is stored locally to enhance performance
What additional benefits does AWS File Storage Gateway gain from storing files in S3?
Files in S3 allow access to features such as:
- S3 Events with Lambda triggers
- Lifecycle Policies for automated transitions and deletions
- Cross-Region Replication for disaster recovery
What API is used by AWS File Storage Gateway to notify other gateways when objects are updated?
NotifyWhenUploaded API
Does AWS File Storage Gateway support object locking?
No, but you can enable read-only mode on shares or tightly control file access to achieve similar restrictions
How can AWS File Storage Gateway enable a multi-region disaster recovery solution?
By configuring cross-region replication from source to destination S3 buckets
What S3 feature can AWS File Storage Gateway use to optimize object storage?
Lifecycle Policies, which allow moving objects to different S3 storage classes based on rules
Can multiple AWS File Storage Gateways create bucket shares with the same S3 bucket?
Yes, this enables distributed access to the same files from multiple on-premises locations
What are the primary use cases for AWS File Storage Gateway?
Extending on-premises file storage to AWS S3
How can you determine which AWS Storage Gateway type (Volume, Tape, File) fits your use case?
- Volume Gateway: Best suits for volume storage types using iSCSI, NFS (Linux), or SMB (Windows) protocols
- Tape Gateway: Ideal for tape backups using the iSCSI protocol
- File Gateway: Suited for file storage over NFS (Linux) or SMB (Windows) protocols
