Elastic Block Store
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What is Elastic Block Store (EBS)?
Elastic Block Store (EBS) is amazon-web-services" style="color: #228be6; text-decoration: none;">Amazon Web Services' block storage service that provides persistent storage for Amazon EC2 instances. EBS volumes offer reliable, high-performance block storage for use with Amazon EC2.
How do you create an EBS volume?
To create an EBS volume, log into the AWS Management Console, navigate to the EC2 dashboard, select 'Volumes' under 'Elastic Block Store,' and click 'Create Volume' to specify its size, type, and availability zone.
What are the types of EBS volumes?
EBS volumes come in various types: General Purpose SSD (gp2 and gp3), Provisioned IOPS SSD (io1 and io2), Throughput Optimized HDD (st1), Cold HDD (sc1), and magnetic volumes.
What is the purpose of EBS snapshots?
EBS snapshots provide a point-in-time backup of your EBS volumes. They are incremental, storing only the changed blocks, and can be used to create new volumes or restore existing ones.
Can EBS volumes be resized?
Yes, you can resize EBS volumes by modifying the volume through the AWS Management Console or AWS CLI without detaching. You can increase size, adjust performance, and change volume type.
Is EBS data encrypted?
EBS supports encryption at rest, using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) keys for data protection. You can enable encryption when you create the volume or snapshot.
How does EBS pricing work?
EBS pricing depends on volume type, size in GB, provisioned IOPS, and snapshot storage. Charges also apply for bandwidth in data transfers across regions or out of AWS.
How does EBS ensure data durability?
EBS ensures durability by automatically replicating volumes within their respective Availability Zone, providing high availability and preventing data loss due to hardware failures.
What is a provisioned IOPS volume?
Provisioned IOPS volumes (io1 and io2) offer high-performance block storage with predictable, consistent IOPS suitable for critical applications, supporting features like sub-millisecond latency and high throughput.
How do you attach an EBS volume to an EC2 instance?
Attach an EBS volume to an EC2 by selecting the volume in the EC2 Console, choosing 'Actions', clicking 'Attach Volume', and selecting the instance to connect along with the device name.
What are gp2 and gp3 volumes?
gp2 and gp3 volumes are General Purpose SSD volumes. gp3 offers baseline performance and customizable IOPS while being more cost-effective than gp2, which automatically scales performance based on size.
What is multi-attach for EBS volumes?
Multi-Attach allows a single io1 or io2 volume to be simultaneously attached to multiple Nitro-based EC2 instances, enabling use cases like clustered databases that require shared storage.
How can you backup an EBS volume?
You can backup an EBS volume by creating an EBS snapshot, either through the AWS Console or using the AWS CLI, ensuring a point-in-time copy is preserved.
Can you migrate EBS volumes between regions?
Direct regional migration isn't supported for EBS volumes, but you can create a snapshot of the volume, copy it to the desired region, and create a new volume from that snapshot.
What is Elastic Volumes?
Elastic Volumes provides the capability to modify EBS volume attributes like size, performance, and type dynamically without downtime, enhancing storage management and flexibility.
How does EBS handle performance consistency?
EBS provides consistent performance by offering different volume types tailored to specific workloads, such as high IOPS or throughput, alongside monitoring and adjusting performance as needed.
Why use EBS over instance store?
EBS volumes provide persistent, durable storage that persists beyond instance termination, unlike instance store, which is temporary and volatile. EBS also supports snapshots and volume resizing.
What happens to EBS volumes when an instance is terminated?
If 'Delete on Termination' is set to true, the EBS volume is deleted when its attached instance terminates. Otherwise, the volume persists independently.
How is EBS integrated with other AWS services?
EBS integrates seamlessly with EC2 for storage, AWS Backup for automated backups, and CloudWatch for monitoring performance metrics and usage.
What is IOPS in the context of EBS?
IOPS, or input/output operations per second, is a metric relating to the performance of EBS volumes, specifying the throughput capacity that a volume can handle, particularly in SSD volumes.
Can EBS volumes be encrypted across regions?
While direct volume encryption is not transferrable across regions, encrypted snapshots can be copied to other regions, and new volumes can be created from those encrypted snapshots.
How do you improve EBS performance?
Improving EBS performance involves choosing the right volume type for the workload, ensuring volumes and instances are optimized, and using reliable monitoring and scaling strategies.
What factors affect EBS performance?
Performance is influenced by volume type, size, IOPS setting, network bandwidth, workload characteristics, and the underlying EC2 instance’s architecture and configuration.
How does EBS provide scalability?
EBS ensures scalability with Elastic Volumes, allowing for volume resizing, performance adjustment, and type modification, accommodating growing application storage needs without downtime.
What is the maximum size for an EBS volume?
EBS volumes can be as large as 16 TiB, catering to demanding applications that require substantial storage space while offering flexibility across various performance tiers.
How do you securely delete an EBS volume?
Secure deletion involves ensuring encryption is applied so data can't be read or, if not encrypted, overwriting data before deletion. The volume should be properly detached before permanent deletion.
What use cases are ideal for EBS?
EBS is ideal for scenarios requiring durable, scalable storage, like databases, big data analytics, log processing, and boot volumes for EC2 instances.
How are snapshots stored in EBS?
EBS snapshots are stored in S3, supporting incremental backups and quick restoration and portability across AWS regions, while incurring storage costs based on data size.
How does EBS data replication work?
EBS automatically replicates data within its availability zone, safeguarding against hardware failures and ensuring data consistency and high availability.
What is the difference between EBS and S3?
EBS is a block storage service for EC2, offering persistent storage, while S3 is an object storage service designed for scalability, data accessibility, and flexibility in retrieval methods.
Can EBS be used with auto-scaling EC2 instances?
Yes, EBS is compatible with auto-scaling groups by attaching pre-defined volume configurations, utilizing instance refresh features to reflect storage needs dynamically.
What is Amazon EC2 Instance Store?
Instance Store is temporary storage on disks attached to an instance, offering fast access but lacking persistence after the instance stops or terminates, unlike EBS.
How do you create a snapshot of an EBS volume?
To create a snapshot, navigate to the EC2 console, select 'Snapshots', click 'Create Snapshot', select the volume, and add necessary tags or descriptions for identification.
What are the advantages of io2 volumes over io1?
io2 volumes provide better data durability with a 99.999% SLA and advanced features, such as higher IOPS and throughput limits, making them suitable for critical applications.
Are EBS volumes region-specific?
Yes, EBS volumes operate at the region level while residing within a specific availability zone, ensuring data redundancy and consistency in that zone.
What is the redundancy level of an EBS volume?
EBS achieves redundancy by automatically replicating data within the same AZ, ensuring resilience and high availability by protecting against hardware failures.
Can you schedule automatic snapshots for EBS volumes?
Automatic snapshot scheduling is possible with AWS Data Lifecycle Manager, allowing for defined backup policies, retention rules, and consistent backup schedules.
What is throughput optimized HDD volume (st1)?
st1 volumes are low-cost HDD options designed for throughput-intensive workloads like large, bursty data transfers and big data applications, offering consistent performance at the cost of slower IOPS.
How do you delete an EBS volume?
To delete an EBS volume, detach it from any EC2 instances first via the AWS Management Console, then navigate to the 'Volumes' section and select 'Delete Volume'.
What is cold HDD volume (sc1)?
sc1 volumes are the least expensive HDD-based option, suitable for infrequent, cold data workloads requiring limited throughput and speed, like backups and archival storage.
Can you clone an EBS volume?
Yes, by creating a snapshot of the volume, you can clone it by launching a new volume from this snapshot, effectively duplicating its data and configuration.
What limits exist for EBS volumes?
AWS enforces limits on EBS volumes, including a maximum size of 16 TiB, up to 80,000 IOPS for io2, and throughput constraints depending on the instance and network architecture.
How do you monitor EBS volume performance?
Use Amazon CloudWatch to monitor performance metrics like IOPS, throughput, latency, and queue length, alongside setting alarms for performance anomalies or thresholds.
How can you change an EBS volume type?
Volume types can be changed through 'Modify Volume' in the AWS Console or CLI, enabling seamless transitions between volume types without affecting existing data.
What latency should you expect with EBS?
EBS latency varies by type; io1/io2 offer sub-millisecond latencies, while gp2/gp3 provide low single-digit millisecond ranges, handling demanding application latency requirements.
Is data transfer between EC2 and EBS free?
Data transfer between EC2 and EBS in the same availability zone is free, but charges apply for inter-region or cross-AZ transfers, influencing architecture decisions.
What is the relationship between EBS and EC2?
EBS provides block-level storage for Amazon EC2 instances, ensuring persistence and data durability for workloads, while enabling features like snapshots and volume resizing.
Are EBS snapshots incremental?
Yes, EBS snapshots are incremental, only storing the modified blocks since the last snapshot, optimizing storage costs and reducing backup times and overhead.
What is volume bursting in EBS?
Volume bursting allows gp2 and gp3 volumes to temporarily exceed their baseline performance for high-demand situations, providing more IOPS or throughput than provisioned for short periods.
How do backups work with EBS volumes?
Backups involve creating and managing EBS snapshots, leveraging the incremental snapshot architecture to provide cost-effective, sustainable backup and recovery options within AWS environments.