Curriculum Overview: Identifying Cached File Systems

This curriculum covers AWS Storage Gateway, a hybrid cloud storage service that provides on-premises access to virtually unlimited cloud storage. It acts as a bridge between your local data center and the AWS Cloud, utilizing local caching to provide low-latency performance.

Prerequisites

Before diving into Storage Gateway, students should have a baseline understanding of the following:

• Amazon S3 Essentials: Understanding of buckets, objects, and storage classes.
• Storage Protocols: Basic knowledge of NFS (Network File System), SMB (Server Message Block), and iSCSI (Internet Small Computer System Interface).
• Virtualization: Familiarity with deploying virtual appliances (VMware, Hyper-V, or KVM) on-premises.
• Cloud Fundamentals: General knowledge of the AWS Global Infrastructure (Regions and Availability Zones).

Module Breakdown

Learning Objectives per Module

Module 1 & 2: File Gateways

• Differentiate between S3 File Gateway and FSx File Gateway.
• Identify use cases for providing local users with low-latency access to cloud-based file shares.
• Recall that data stored via S3 File Gateway can be managed using S3 lifecycle policies and versioning.

Module 3: Volume Gateways

• Contrast "Cached Volumes" vs. "Stored Volumes."
  • Cached Volumes: Data resides in S3; only frequently accessed data is local ($Local \subset Cloud$).
  • Stored Volumes: All data resides locally; asynchronously backed up to S3 ($Local = Cloud$).
• Understand that Volume Gateways present data as iSCSI targets to your local servers.

Module 4: Tape Gateways

• Explain how Tape Gateway replaces physical tape infrastructure with a Virtual Tape Library (VTL).
• Identify the cost-benefit of archiving virtual tapes to Amazon S3 Glacier.

Success Metrics

To master this curriculum, students must be able to:

1. Select the correct Gateway for a given scenario (e.g., "Need to replace a physical tape library" → Tape Gateway).
2. Identify Protocols: Correctly link NFS/SMB to File Gateways and iSCSI to Volume/Tape Gateways.
3. Explain Caching: Describe how local cache enables low-latency performance even though the primary data store is in the cloud.
4. Architect for Connectivity: Determine when a "Stored Volume" is required (high-availability requirements during internet outages).

[!IMPORTANT] Exam Tip: Remember that all Storage Gateway types use an on-premises virtual or hardware appliance to bridge the gap to AWS.

Real-World Application

• Disaster Recovery: Using Volume Gateway to take snapshots of local data, which can then be restored as EBS volumes in EC2 if the local site fails.
• Hybrid Cloud Migration: Gradually moving on-premises file shares to S3 without changing the workflow of end-users who expect a mapped drive (NFS/SMB).
• Data Tiering: Using S3 File Gateway to move cold data off expensive local NAS/SAN storage into low-cost S3 buckets while keeping a local cache for active files.

Examples Section

Example 1: The "Low Local Storage" Scenario

Scenario: A company has only 2 TB of local disk space but needs to store 50 TB of research data. Solution: Volume Gateway (Cached Mode).

• The 50 TB is stored in Amazon S3.
• The 2 TB of local disk is used as a cache for the most recently used files.
• Result: The server "sees" a 50 TB drive, but physically only needs 2 TB of local hardware.

Example 2: Legacy Backup Replacement

Scenario: A financial firm uses Veritas Backup Exec and physical tapes. They want to stop shipping physical tapes to off-site vaults. Solution: Tape Gateway.

• The firm connects their existing backup software to the Tape Gateway via iSCSI.
• Virtual tapes are written to S3.
• Once "ejected," the tapes move to S3 Glacier for long-term, low-cost archiving.