7 questions found
What is AWS Storage Gateway and how does it bridge on premises environments with AWS cloud storage?
Beginner
AWS Storage Gateway is a hybrid cloud storage service that connects an on premises software appliance to AWS storage services, letting on premises applications access cloud storage using standard storage protocols they already understand, such as file shares, block storage volumes, or virtual tape libraries, without needing to be rewritten to use AWS specific APIs directly.
aws storagegateway create-gateway --gateway-name my-gateway --gateway-timezone GMT --gateway-type FILE_S3
Real-world example
A company with an on premises application that expects a standard network file share uses Storage Gateway's file gateway to seamlessly store those files in S3 in the background, without requiring any changes to the existing application itself.
Common follow-ups: What are the three main types of Storage Gateway configurations?;Does Storage Gateway require any special hardware to run?
S3 & Storage;AWS Direct Connect & Hybrid Connectivity
What is a File Gateway, and how does it let on premises applications interact with S3 using standard file protocols?
Beginner
A File Gateway presents a standard network file share, using protocols like NFS or SMB, that on premises applications and users can mount and use exactly as they would any other file server, while behind the scenes, Storage Gateway automatically translates those file operations into objects stored in an S3 bucket, giving you the durability and scalability of S3 with an interface that legacy applications already understand without modification.
aws storagegateway create-nfs-file-share --gateway-arn arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:123456789012:gateway/sgw-12345 --location-arn arn:aws:s3:::my-bucket
Real-world example
A media production company uses a File Gateway to let its existing editing software, which expects a standard network file share, save large video files directly to S3 in the background, gaining cloud scale storage without changing any editing workflows.
Common follow-ups: How does caching work locally on a File Gateway to improve performance for frequently accessed files?;Can multiple on premises servers access the same File Gateway share simultaneously?
S3 & Storage;Amazon EFS (Elastic File System)
How does a Volume Gateway provide block storage that can be used for backup or as a primary storage volume for on premises applications?
Intermediate
A Volume Gateway presents iSCSI block storage volumes to on premises applications, operating in either cached mode, where frequently accessed data is kept locally for low latency access while the full volume data resides durably in AWS, or stored mode, where the entire dataset remains on premises for low latency access to all data while asynchronous backups are made to AWS, giving organizations flexibility based on how much data needs to stay locally available versus safely backed up in the cloud.
aws storagegateway create-cached-iscsi-volume --gateway-arn arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:123456789012:gateway/sgw-12345 --volume-size-in-bytes 107374182400
Real-world example
A company running an on premises database server uses a cached Volume Gateway to keep its most frequently accessed data locally for fast performance, while the complete dataset is durably and automatically stored in AWS in the background for disaster recovery purposes.
Common follow-ups: What is the key difference between cached mode and stored mode Volume Gateways?;How do you recover a volume from AWS if the on premises appliance fails entirely?
AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery;RDS & Databases
What is a Tape Gateway, and how does it help organizations modernize their existing backup processes that rely on physical tape systems?
Intermediate
A Tape Gateway presents a virtual tape library interface that works seamlessly with existing backup software already configured to write to physical tape drives, meaning organizations can continue using their familiar backup software and processes exactly as before, while Storage Gateway transparently stores those virtual tapes in S3 and can archive older tapes into extremely low cost Glacier storage, eliminating the need to physically manage, transport, and store actual tape media.
aws storagegateway create-tapes --gateway-arn arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:123456789012:gateway/sgw-12345 --tape-size-in-bytes 107374182400 --num-tapes-to-create 5
Real-world example
A company using long established backup software that only knows how to write to physical tape drives adopts a Tape Gateway, continuing to use the exact same backup software and scheduled jobs while eliminating the physical tape management burden entirely.
Common follow-ups: How does a Tape Gateway compare in cost to maintaining a physical tape backup infrastructure?;How quickly can an archived virtual tape be retrieved from Glacier if needed?
S3 & Storage;AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery
How does local caching work within Storage Gateway to balance performance for frequently accessed data against the durability benefits of cloud storage?
Intermediate
Storage Gateway maintains a local cache on the on premises appliance that stores the most recently and frequently accessed data, providing low latency access for that hot data without needing to retrieve it from AWS every time, while all data is still durably and asynchronously uploaded to the cloud in the background, meaning the size and performance of the local cache directly affects how well the gateway performs for a given workload's specific access patterns.
aws storagegateway describe-cache --gateway-arn arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:123456789012:gateway/sgw-12345
Real-world example
A company sizes its Storage Gateway's local cache based on their typical working dataset size, ensuring the files their team accesses daily remain fast to retrieve locally, while older, rarely accessed files are still safely stored in S3 without consuming local cache space unnecessarily.
Common follow-ups: How do you determine the appropriate cache size for a specific workload?;What happens to performance if the working dataset significantly exceeds the configured cache size?
Monitoring (CloudWatch);S3 & Storage
How can Storage Gateway support a disaster recovery strategy where an on premises application's data can be quickly recovered or accessed directly from AWS during an outage?
Advanced
Since Storage Gateway continuously and asynchronously replicates on premises data into durable AWS storage, an organization can use this replicated data as a foundation for disaster recovery, either by launching a new Storage Gateway appliance in AWS itself to continue serving that data during an on premises outage, or by directly accessing the underlying S3 objects or EBS snapshots created from Volume Gateway data, providing a path to recovery that does not depend on the original on premises facility remaining operational.
aws storagegateway create-volume-from-recovery-point --volume-recovery-point-time '2026-09-06T00:00:00Z' --gateway-arn arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:123456789012:gateway/sgw-98765
Real-world example
A company whose primary data center becomes unavailable due to a natural disaster quickly restores a Volume Gateway's data from its most recent recovery point directly within AWS, allowing critical applications to resume operating from the cloud until the physical facility is restored.
Common follow-ups: What is a recovery point in the context of Volume Gateway snapshots?;How current is the data available in AWS compared to what was on premises immediately before an outage?
AWS Backup & Disaster Recovery;AWS Global Infrastructure (Regions
AZs & Edge Locations)
What performance and network bandwidth considerations should be evaluated before deploying Storage Gateway in a production environment with large datasets?
Advanced
Key considerations include the available network bandwidth between the on premises location and AWS, since insufficient bandwidth can create a bottleneck for both initial data upload and ongoing synchronization, the appropriate local cache sizing based on actual working set size and access patterns, and whether a Direct Connect connection would provide more consistent throughput and lower latency compared to relying solely on a standard internet connection for a large scale, performance sensitive deployment.
aws storagegateway describe-bandwidth-rate-limit-schedule --gateway-arn arn:aws:storagegateway:us-east-1:123456789012:gateway/sgw-12345
Real-world example
A company planning to migrate a large on premises file server to a File Gateway first evaluates its available internet bandwidth and determines that a dedicated Direct Connect connection is necessary to achieve acceptable synchronization performance for their multi terabyte dataset.
Common follow-ups: How do you configure bandwidth throttling schedules to avoid overwhelming a limited internet connection during business hours?;What is the initial data upload time estimate for a very large existing dataset?
AWS Direct Connect & Hybrid Connectivity;Monitoring (CloudWatch)