Amazon EBS Provisioned IOPS (PIOPS) is a high-performance storage volume type designed for I/O-intensive workloads requiring consistent and predictable performance. This volume type, known as io1 or io2, allows you to specify the exact number of IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) you need wh…Amazon EBS Provisioned IOPS (PIOPS) is a high-performance storage volume type designed for I/O-intensive workloads requiring consistent and predictable performance. This volume type, known as io1 or io2, allows you to specify the exact number of IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) you need when creating the volume.
Key characteristics of Provisioned IOPS volumes include:
**Performance Specifications:**
- io1 volumes support up to 64,000 IOPS per volume
- io2 Block Express can deliver up to 256,000 IOPS
- You can provision between 100 and 64,000 IOPS depending on volume size
- The ratio of IOPS to volume size is up to 50:1 for io1 and 500:1 for io2
**Use Cases:**
- Database workloads (Oracle, MySQL, PostgreSQL)
- Latency-sensitive transactional applications
- Business-critical applications requiring sustained IOPS performance
- Applications needing more than 16,000 IOPS or 250 MiB/s throughput
**Cost Considerations:**
- You pay separately for storage capacity (per GB-month) and provisioned IOPS (per IOPS-month)
- More expensive than gp2/gp3 volumes but guarantees performance
- Cost optimization involves right-sizing IOPS to actual workload requirements
**Monitoring and Optimization:**
- Use CloudWatch metrics like VolumeReadOps, VolumeWriteOps, and VolumeQueueLength
- Monitor BurstBalance and consumed IOPS to ensure adequate provisioning
- Analyze workload patterns to avoid over-provisioning
**Best Practices:**
- Enable EBS-optimized instances to maximize throughput
- Use Multi-Attach feature for io1/io2 when clustering is needed
- Consider io2 Block Express for extreme performance requirements
- Regularly review provisioned IOPS against actual usage using AWS Cost Explorer
For SysOps Administrators, understanding PIOPS helps balance cost efficiency with performance requirements, ensuring applications receive guaranteed I/O performance while avoiding unnecessary expenses from over-provisioning.
EBS Provisioned IOPS (PIOPS) volumes, known as io1 and io2 volume types, are high-performance SSD-backed storage designed for I/O-intensive workloads. These volumes allow you to specify the exact number of IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) you need, providing consistent and predictable performance for your applications.
Why is Provisioned IOPS Important?
Provisioned IOPS volumes are critical for: - Database workloads requiring consistent, low-latency performance - Mission-critical applications where performance variability is unacceptable - Large-scale transactional systems like SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL Server - Applications requiring more than 16,000 IOPS (the maximum for gp3 volumes)
How Provisioned IOPS Works
io1 Volumes: - Maximum IOPS: 64,000 per volume - Maximum throughput: 1,000 MiB/s - IOPS to GiB ratio: up to 50:1 - Durability: 99.8% to 99.9%
io2 Volumes: - Maximum IOPS: 64,000 per volume (256,000 with io2 Block Express) - Maximum throughput: 1,000 MiB/s (4,000 MiB/s with Block Express) - IOPS to GiB ratio: up to 500:1 - Durability: 99.999% - Better price-performance than io1
Key Configuration Considerations
1. IOPS Provisioning: You specify IOPS when creating the volume, and you pay for provisioned capacity regardless of usage
2. Volume Size Requirements: For io1, you need at least 4 GiB for every 200 IOPS provisioned. For io2, you can provision up to 500 IOPS per GiB
3. Multi-Attach: Both io1 and io2 support Multi-Attach, allowing a single volume to be attached to up to 16 Nitro-based instances simultaneously
4. Instance Type Matters: The EC2 instance type limits the maximum IOPS achievable, even if the volume supports more
Monitoring and Optimization
Use Amazon CloudWatch to monitor: - VolumeReadOps and VolumeWriteOps for actual IOPS usage - VolumeThroughputPercentage to see how much of provisioned IOPS you are using - VolumeQueueLength to identify if your volume is overwhelmed - BurstBalance is not applicable to PIOPS volumes as they do not use burst credits
Cost Optimization Tips
- Only provision the IOPS you actually need based on monitoring data - Consider io2 over io1 for better durability at similar pricing - Use gp3 volumes if you need less than 16,000 IOPS to reduce costs - Right-size your volumes by analyzing CloudWatch metrics
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on EBS Provisioned IOPS
1. When to Choose PIOPS: Look for keywords like consistent performance, latency-sensitive, database workloads, transactional applications, or requirements exceeding 16,000 IOPS
2. io1 vs io2: If the question mentions high durability (99.999%) or higher IOPS-to-storage ratio, io2 is the answer. io2 Block Express is for extreme performance requirements
3. Multi-Attach Scenarios: When questions mention multiple instances needing simultaneous access to the same volume, think io1 or io2 with Multi-Attach
4. Performance Troubleshooting: If an application is not achieving expected IOPS, check the EC2 instance type limits, not just the volume configuration
5. Cost Questions: Remember that PIOPS volumes charge separately for storage (per GB) and provisioned IOPS. Underutilized PIOPS volumes are a cost optimization opportunity
6. Ratio Calculations: Be prepared to calculate whether a volume size supports the requested IOPS (50:1 for io1, 500:1 for io2)
7. Snapshot Behavior: Snapshots of PIOPS volumes are stored in S3, and performance may be impacted during the initial snapshot creation