Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) volume management is a critical skill for AWS SysOps Administrators, involving the creation, modification, monitoring, and maintenance of persistent block storage volumes for EC2 instances.
**Volume Types and Selection:**
EBS offers several volume types including G…Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) volume management is a critical skill for AWS SysOps Administrators, involving the creation, modification, monitoring, and maintenance of persistent block storage volumes for EC2 instances.
**Volume Types and Selection:**
EBS offers several volume types including General Purpose SSD (gp2/gp3), Provisioned IOPS SSD (io1/io2), Throughput Optimized HDD (st1), and Cold HDD (sc1). Selecting the appropriate type depends on workload requirements such as IOPS, throughput, and cost considerations.
**Provisioning and Automation:**
Volumes can be provisioned through the AWS Console, CLI, or Infrastructure as Code tools like CloudFormation and Terraform. Automation enables consistent deployments and reduces manual errors. You can specify volume size, type, encryption settings, and availability zone during creation.
**Snapshots and Backup:**
EBS snapshots provide point-in-time backups stored in S3. AWS Backup and Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) automate snapshot creation and retention policies. Snapshots are incremental, storing only changed blocks to optimize storage costs.
**Modification and Scaling:**
Elastic Volumes allow you to modify volume size, type, and IOPS while the volume remains attached. This enables dynamic scaling based on changing application demands. After modification, the file system must be extended to utilize additional space.
**Monitoring and Performance:**
CloudWatch metrics track volume performance including VolumeReadOps, VolumeWriteOps, VolumeQueueLength, and BurstBalance. Setting alarms helps identify performance bottlenecks and capacity issues proactively.
**Encryption:**
EBS encryption uses AWS KMS keys to protect data at rest and in transit between EC2 and EBS. Encryption can be enabled by default at the account level for new volumes.
**Best Practices:**
Implement regular snapshot schedules, use appropriate volume types for workloads, enable encryption for sensitive data, and monitor performance metrics to ensure optimal operation and cost efficiency in your AWS environment.
EBS Volume Management for AWS SysOps Administrator Associate
Why EBS Volume Management is Important
Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) volumes are persistent block storage for EC2 instances. As a SysOps Administrator, you'll frequently manage EBS volumes to ensure data persistence, optimize performance, control costs, and maintain system reliability. This topic is heavily tested on the exam because storage management is a core operational responsibility.
What is EBS Volume Management?
EBS volume management encompasses all operational tasks related to creating, configuring, monitoring, modifying, and maintaining EBS volumes. This includes:
• Volume Types: gp3, gp2, io1, io2, st1, sc1 • Volume Operations: Creating, attaching, detaching, deleting volumes • Snapshots: Backup and restore operations • Encryption: Managing encrypted volumes and keys • Performance Optimization: IOPS and throughput tuning • Resizing: Modifying volume size and type
How EBS Volume Management Works
Volume Creation and Attachment: EBS volumes are created within a specific Availability Zone and can only be attached to EC2 instances in that same AZ. You can create volumes from snapshots or create empty volumes.
Volume Modification: You can modify volume type, size, and IOPS while the volume is in use. Changes take effect gradually, and you should monitor the modification state using CloudWatch or the console. After increasing size, you must extend the file system within the OS.
Snapshots: Snapshots are incremental backups stored in S3. The first snapshot copies all data, subsequent snapshots only capture changed blocks. Snapshots can be copied across regions and shared with other AWS accounts.
Encryption: EBS encryption uses AWS KMS keys. You cannot change encryption status of an existing volume, but you can create an encrypted copy of an unencrypted snapshot, then create a new encrypted volume from it.
Performance Considerations: • gp3 allows independent IOPS and throughput configuration • io1/io2 provide highest IOPS for mission-critical workloads • st1/sc1 are optimized for sequential throughput workloads • EBS-optimized instances provide dedicated bandwidth to EBS
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on EBS Volume Management
Key Concepts to Remember:
1. Availability Zone Constraints: EBS volumes are AZ-specific. To move a volume to another AZ, create a snapshot and restore it in the target AZ.
2. Volume Modification Limits: After modifying a volume, you must wait at least 6 hours before making another modification to the same volume.
3. Root Volume Behavior: By default, root EBS volumes are deleted when the instance terminates. You can change the DeleteOnTermination attribute to preserve the volume.
4. Encryption Scenarios: To encrypt an unencrypted volume, you need to: create a snapshot, copy the snapshot with encryption enabled, then create a new volume from the encrypted snapshot.
5. IOPS Ratios: For gp2, IOPS scales with size (3 IOPS per GB, max 16,000). For io1/io2, the IOPS to size ratio can be up to 50:1.
6. Snapshot Behavior: Snapshots of encrypted volumes are automatically encrypted. Snapshots can be taken while volumes are attached and in use.
Common Exam Scenarios:
• When asked about improving volume performance, consider changing volume type or increasing provisioned IOPS • For disaster recovery questions, focus on cross-region snapshot copying • For cost optimization, evaluate if workloads can use cheaper volume types like st1 or sc1 • When migrating instances across AZs, remember the snapshot and restore process • For encryption requirements on existing volumes, remember the snapshot copy method
Watch Out For:
• Questions about volume states during modification (optimizing state) • Difference between instance store and EBS storage • Multi-attach capability only available for io1/io2 in same AZ • CloudWatch metrics for monitoring EBS performance (VolumeReadOps, VolumeWriteOps, VolumeThroughputPercentage)