Welcome to block and file storage! While S3 is for storing objects, other types of storage are needed to run applications and operating systems on virtual servers. Let's look at two key services: Amazon EBS and Amazon EFS.
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What do you think is the main difference between storing a file and running an operating system?
Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) provides high-performance block storage volumes for use with Amazon EC2 instances. Think of an EBS volume as a cloud-based hard drive that you attach to your virtual server.
This is the storage you'd use for the operating system and data for a single EC2 instance.
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Let's explore this in more detail, shall we?
The key feature of EBS is persistence. Unlike the temporary storage that comes with some EC2 instances, an EBS volume and its data persist independently of the life of the instance. If your instance fails, your EBS volume remains safe.
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Why is persistent storage crucial for a database server?
You can create point-in-time backups of your EBS volumes called snapshots. These are stored durably in Amazon S3 and can be used to restore a volume or create new identical volumes. This is essential for backup and disaster recovery.
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When might you want to take a snapshot before making a major change to your server?
Now, what if multiple servers need to access the same data at the same time? That's where Amazon EFS (Elastic File System) comes in. EFS provides a simple, scalable, elastic file system for use with AWS cloud services.
Think of EFS as a shared network drive in the cloud.
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Simple, right?
