Storage Gateway

aws/storage aws/hybrid aws/service

💡 Definition

AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that gives you on-premises access to virtually unlimited cloud storage. It connects your on-premises applications to AWS storage services (like S3, Glacier, and EBS) using standard storage protocols.

🔑 Key Concepts

Hybrid Storage: Bridges your local data center and the AWS cloud.
Protocols: Uses standard protocols like NFS, SMB, iSCSI, and iSCSI-VTL, so you don't need to rewrite your applications.
Caching: Caches frequently accessed data locally for low latency performance.
Types:
- File Gateway (S3 File Gateway): Stores files as objects in S3 (NFS/SMB).
- Volume Gateway: Provides block storage (iSCSI). Data is stored as EBS snapshots. (Cached or Stored modes).
- Tape Gateway: Replaces physical tape libraries with virtual tapes stored in Glacier (iSCSI-VTL).

⚙️ How it Works

Deploy VM: You download and deploy the Storage Gateway virtual machine on your on-premises host (VMware, Hyper-V, KVM) or hardware appliance.
Connect: Connect your on-premises applications to the gateway using standard protocols.
Transfer: The gateway handles data transfer to AWS, including encryption, compression, and bandwidth management.

🎯 Use Cases

Cloud Backup: Moving backups to the cloud (File or Tape Gateway).
Hybrid Cloud Workloads: Applications running on-premises that need access to cloud storage.
Disaster Recovery: Storing data in AWS for recovery.
Storage Tiering: Moving cold data to the cloud while keeping hot data local.

💰 Pricing Model

Gateway Usage: Charged per gateway per month (for some types).
Storage: You pay for the underlying AWS storage (S3, EBS snapshots, Glacier).
Data Transfer: Standard data transfer rates apply.

📝 Exam Tips (CLF-C02)

Keywords: "Hybrid storage", "On-premises access to cloud storage", "NFS/SMB", "iSCSI", "Virtual Tape".
File Gateway -> S3 Objects.
Volume Gateway -> Block storage (EBS Snapshots).
Tape Gateway -> Virtual Tapes (Glacier).

See Also: * S3 * EBS * Glacier * Snow Family