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AWS Storage Gateway

AWS Storage Gateway Overview

  • Definition: AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that connects on-premises environments to AWS cloud storage, providing seamless integration via standard storage protocols (NFS, SMB, iSCSI, iSCSI-VTL) with local caching for low-latency access.
  • Key Features:
    • Supports four gateway types: S3 File Gateway, FSx File Gateway (legacy for existing customers), Volume Gateway, and Tape Gateway.
    • Integrates with AWS services (S3, Glacier, EBS, FSx for Windows File Server, AWS Backup, CloudWatch, IAM, KMS).
    • Deployable as a virtual machine (VM), hardware appliance, or EC2 instance.
    • Provides secure data transfer (SSL) and encryption at rest (S3-SSE or KMS).
  • Use Cases: Backups to the cloud, cloud-backed file shares, low-latency access for on-premises apps, data lake workflows, disaster recovery (DR).

  • Key Update (2024): Amazon FSx File Gateway is no longer available to new customers; existing users can continue, but S3 File Gateway or FSx for Windows File Server is recommended for similar functionality.

1. Storage Gateway Core Concepts

Gateway Types

  • S3 File Gateway:
    • Purpose: Store files as objects in Amazon S3 using NFS (v3, v4.1) or SMB (v2, v3) protocols.
    • Features:
      • Files stored as native S3 objects with POSIX metadata (ownership, permissions, timestamps).
      • Supports S3 Standard, S3 Standard-IA, S3 One Zone-IA, and S3 Object Lock (WORM).
      • Local cache (up to 64 TB) for low-latency access.
    • Use Cases: Data lakes, backups (e.g., SQL Server, Oracle), ML workflows, archiving media.
    • Explanation: E.g., mount S3 bucket as NFS share for database dumps.

  • FSx File Gateway (Legacy):

    • Purpose: Provide low-latency access to FSx for Windows File Server file shares via SMB.

    • Features:

      • Integrates with Active Directory (AD) for Windows-based apps.
      • Caches frequently accessed files locally.

      • Note: Discontinued for new customers; use FSx for Windows File Server directly.

    • Use Cases: Team file shares, home directories, Windows-based apps.

    • Explanation: E.g., access FSx file shares from on-premises Windows servers.
    • Volume Gateway:
    • Purpose: Provide block storage via iSCSI for on-premises applications.
    • Modes:
      • Cached Volumes: Primary data in S3, local cache (1 GiB–32 TiB per volume, up to 32 volumes, 1 PiB total).
      • Stored Volumes: Primary data on-premises, asynchronous backups to S3 as EBS snapshots (1 GiB–16 TiB per volume, up to 32 volumes, 512 TiB total).
    • Features:
      • Point-in-time EBS snapshots, restorable to EBS or Volume Gateway.
      • Integrates with AWS Backup for retention policies.
    • Use Cases: Application storage, DR, migration to EBS.
    • Explanation: E.g., Cached Volumes for scalable app storage, Stored Volumes for low-latency local data.
    • Tape Gateway:
    • Purpose: Replace physical tapes with virtual tapes via iSCSI-VTL (Virtual Tape Library).
    • Features:
      • Virtual tapes stored in S3, archivable to S3 Glacier or Deep Archive.
      • Supports leading backup apps (e.g., Veeam, Veritas, Commvault).
      • Local cache for low-latency tape access.
    • Use Cases: Backup and archive without physical tape infrastructure.
    • Explanation: E.g., backup SQL Server to virtual tapes in S3 Glacier.

Deployment Options

  • Virtual Machine: Deploy on VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Linux KVM.
  • Hardware Appliance: Pre-configured device from AWS for on-premises use.
  • EC2 Instance: Deploy in AWS for DR or cloud-hosted apps.
  • VMware Cloud on AWS: Deploy as VM for hybrid cloud.
  • Explanation: E.g., VM on VMware for on-premises backup, EC2 for DR.

Recent Updates (2024–2025):

  • FSx File Gateway Discontinuation: No new customers; existing users unaffected.

  • AWS Backup Enhancements: Improved PITR and cross-region replication for Volume Gateway (April 2024).

  • Cost Allocation Tags: Track Storage Gateway costs by project (October 2024).

  • Security: FIPS 140-2 compliant endpoints in AWS GovCloud (US-East/West).

Key Notes:

  • Exam Relevance: Understand gateway types, protocols, and use cases.
  • Mastery Tip: Compare Storage Gateway vs. EFS vs. FSx for hybrid workloads.

2. Storage Gateway Performance Features

Storage Gateway optimizes hybrid cloud performance.

Local Caching

  • Purpose: Low-latency access to frequently used data.
  • Features:
    • S3 File Gateway: Up to 64 TB cache.
    • Volume Gateway: Cache for Cached Volumes, full dataset for Stored Volumes.
    • Tape Gateway: Cache for virtual tapes.
    • Read-through/write-back cache reduces latency.
  • Explanation: E.g., cache recent SQL backups for fast access.

Optimized Data Transfer

  • Purpose: Efficient cloud uploads/downloads.
  • Features:
    • Multi-part uploads, delta transfers, compression (block/tape data).
    • Bandwidth throttling to manage network usage.
  • Explanation: E.g., stream database backups to S3 in parallel.

Scalability

  • Purpose: Handle growing datasets.
  • Features:
    • Virtually unlimited cloud storage (S3, Glacier, EBS).
    • Cached Volumes scale to 1 PiB, Stored Volumes to 512 TiB.
  • Explanation: E.g., scale S3 File Gateway for petabytes of media.

Key Notes:

  • Performance: Caching + optimized transfers = fast hybrid storage.
  • Exam Tip: Know cache sizes and transfer optimizations for each gateway.

3. Storage Gateway Resilience Features

Resilience ensures data availability and recovery.

Cloud Durability

  • Purpose: Prevent data loss.
  • Features:
    • S3: 99.999999999% (11 9s) durability for File/Volume Gateway.
    • Glacier/Deep Archive: High durability for Tape Gateway archives.
  • Explanation: E.g., store backups in S3 for reliable recovery.

Disaster Recovery

  • Purpose: Recover from on-premises failures.
  • Features:
    • Volume Gateway: Restore EBS snapshots to EC2 or new Volume Gateway.
    • Tape Gateway: Retrieve virtual tapes from S3/Glacier.
    • EC2 Deployment: Run gateway in AWS if on-premises fails.
  • Explanation: E.g., recover app data from EBS snapshot in EC2.

Backups with AWS Backup

  • Purpose: Automate data protection.
  • Features:
    • Volume Gateway: Policy-driven backups, PITR, cross-region replication.
    • File/Tape Gateway: S3 lifecycle policies for archiving.
  • Explanation: E.g., daily Volume Gateway snapshots with 30-day retention.

High Availability (HA):

  • Purpose: Minimize downtime.
  • Features:
    • VMware HA integration for on-premises VMs.
    • Deploy multiple gateways for redundancy (manual failover).
  • Explanation: E.g., configure HA for File Gateway on VMware.

Key Notes:

  • Resilience: Cloud durability + AWS Backup = robust DR.
  • Exam Tip: Design DR with EC2-hosted gateways and cross-region backups.

4. Storage Gateway Security Features

Security aligns with SAA-C03’s secure architecture focus.

Encryption

  • At Rest:
    • S3 File Gateway: S3-SSE (default) or KMS-managed keys (SSE-KMS).
    • Volume Gateway: S3-SSE for snapshots, KMS optional.
    • Tape Gateway: S3-SSE for tapes, Glacier/Deep Archive encryption.
    • Explanation: E.g., encrypt S3 File Gateway data with KMS key.
  • In Transit:
    • SSL (TLS) for all data transfers between gateway and AWS.
    • Explanation: E.g., secure SQL backup uploads to S3.

Access Control

  • IAM:
    • Controls gateway operations (e.g., storagegateway:CreateFileShare).
    • S3 File Gateway: IAM roles for S3 bucket access.
    • Example: {"Effect": "Allow", "Action": "s3:PutObject", "Resource": "arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket/*"}.
  • AD Integration:
    • S3 File Gateway (SMB): AD for user authentication.
    • FSx File Gateway: AD for Windows file share access.
  • File Gateway:
    • POSIX permissions (NFS), NTFS ACLs (SMB) stored as S3 metadata.
  • Explanation: E.g., restrict SMB file share to AD group.

VPC Security

  • Purpose: Network isolation.
  • Features:
    • Deploy in private subnets, secure with security groups.
    • Ports: NFS (2049), SMB (445), iSCSI (3260).
  • Explanation: E.g., allow port 2049 for NFS File Gateway.

Compliance

  • Certifications: HIPAA, PCI, SOC, ISO, GDPR, FIPS 140-2 (GovCloud).
  • Explanation: E.g., deploy Tape Gateway for HIPAA-compliant backups.

Key Notes:

  • Security: KMS + IAM + SSL = enterprise-grade.
  • Exam Tip: Practice IAM policies for S3 access and security group configs.

5. Storage Gateway Cost Optimization

Cost efficiency is a key exam domain.

Pricing

  • Storage:
    • S3 File Gateway: S3 pricing (e.g., $0.023/GB-month Standard, $0.004/GB-month Deep Archive).
    • Volume Gateway: S3 pricing for Cached Volumes, EBS snapshot pricing ($0.05/GB-month).
    • Tape Gateway: S3/Glacier/Deep Archive pricing, tape move charges (e.g., Glacier to Deep Archive).
  • Gateway:
    • $0.01/GB transferred (in/out).
    • $125/month per gateway (VM or hardware).
  • Requests:
    • S3 requests: ~$0.005/1,000 PUT, $0.0004/1,000 GET.
  • Free Tier: None.
  • Example: 1 TB S3 Standard (File Gateway), 1 gateway, 100 GB transfer ~$148/month.

Cost Strategies

  • S3 Lifecycle Policies:
    • Transition File Gateway data to S3-IA, Glacier, or Deep Archive.
    • Explanation: E.g., move backups to Deep Archive after 90 days.
  • Cached Volumes:
    • Use Cached vs. Stored Volumes to minimize on-premises storage.
    • Explanation: E.g., Cached Volumes for scalable app data.
  • Tape Gateway:
    • Archive tapes to Deep Archive (~$0.004/GB-month).
    • Avoid early deletion fees (90 days for Glacier, 180 days for Deep Archive).
    • Explanation: E.g., archive old backups to Deep Archive.
  • Tagging:
    • Use cost allocation tags to track gateway costs.
    • Explanation: E.g., tag gateway with “Project:Backup”.
  • Optimize Gateways:
    • Deploy one gateway per use case to avoid overprovisioning.
    • Explanation: E.g., single File Gateway for multiple S3 shares.

Key Notes:

  • Cost Savings: Lifecycle policies + Cached Volumes + Deep Archive = low costs.
  • Exam Tip: Calculate costs for File vs. Tape Gateway and lifecycle transitions.

6. Storage Gateway Advanced Features

S3 File Gateway

  • S3 Object Lock: Enable WORM for compliance.
  • Cross-Region Replication: Replicate S3 buckets for DR.
  • Explanation: E.g., use Object Lock for regulatory backups.

Volume Gateway

  • Volume Detach/Attach: Migrate volumes between gateways for hardware refresh.
  • AWS Backup: Automate snapshot retention and recovery.
  • Explanation: E.g., detach volume to upgrade VM host.

Tape Gateway

  • Virtual Tape Library: Supports media changer, tape drives, and tapes.
  • Tape Movement: Move tapes to Deep Archive via console/API.
  • Explanation: E.g., archive tapes to Deep Archive after 90 days.

Monitoring

  • CloudWatch: Metrics for cache usage, transfer rates, and errors.
  • CloudTrail: Audit gateway operations.
  • Explanation: E.g., monitor File Gateway cache hit rate.

Key Notes:

  • Flexibility: S3 integration + AWS Backup = versatile hybrid storage.
  • Exam Tip: Know S3 Object Lock for File Gateway and tape archiving.

7. Storage Gateway Use Cases

Understand practical applications.

Cloud Backups

  • Setup: Tape Gateway + S3 Glacier/Deep Archive.
  • Features: Replace physical tapes, integrate with backup apps.
  • Explanation: E.g., Veeam backups to virtual tapes.

Data Lake Workflows

  • Setup: S3 File Gateway + S3 Standard.
  • Features: Store files in S3 for analytics/ML.
  • Explanation: E.g., feed ML data to SageMaker via S3.

Windows File Shares

  • Setup: FSx File Gateway (existing customers) + FSx for Windows File Server.
  • Features: AD-integrated SMB shares.
  • Explanation: E.g., team file share for Windows apps.

Application Storage

  • Setup: Volume Gateway (Cached) + S3.
  • Features: Scalable block storage with cloud backups.
  • Explanation: E.g., app data with EBS snapshots for DR.

8. Storage Gateway vs. Other Services

Feature Storage Gateway EFS FSx
Type Hybrid File/Block/Tape File Storage Specialized File
Workload Hybrid cloud, backups Shared NFS Windows, HPC, enterprise
Performance Cached, low-latency Scalable, shared High IOPS/throughput
Cost $0.004–$0.023/GB-month $0.008–$0.30/GB-month $0.01–$0.15/GB-month
Use Case On-premises to cloud Containers, CMS Windows apps, HPC

Explanation:

  • Storage Gateway: Hybrid cloud bridge for on-premises apps.
  • EFS: General-purpose NFS for cloud-native apps.
  • FSx: Specialized file systems for specific workloads.

9. Detailed Explanations for Mastery

  • S3 File Gateway:
    • Example: Mount S3 bucket as NFS share for SQL Server backups.
    • Why It Matters: Cost-effective hybrid storage—exam favorite.
  • Volume Gateway Cached vs. Stored:
    • Example: Use Cached for scalable app storage, Stored for low-latency local data.
    • Why It Matters: Performance vs. resilience trade-offs.
  • Tape Gateway:
    • Example: Replace physical tapes with virtual tapes for Veeam backups.
    • Why It Matters: Legacy integration—common scenario.

10. Quick Reference Table

Feature Purpose Key Detail Exam Relevance
Gateway Types Hybrid storage S3 File, FSx File, Volume, Tape Core Concept
Local Caching Low-latency access Up to 64 TB (File), Cached/Stored Performance
Cloud Durability Data protection S3 (11 9s), Glacier, EBS Resilience
Encryption/IAM Security SSL, KMS, AD, POSIX/NTFS Security
Lifecycle Policies Cost savings Transition to IA, Glacier, Deep Archive Cost
AWS Backup Disaster recovery PITR, cross-region for Volume Resilience
S3 Object Lock Compliance WORM for File Gateway Flexibility