This AWS Snowball and Snowmobile Tutorial will explain the principles of data movement on the AWS Cloud. This post will address the following advice:
Use Case for Data Migration:
AWS Snowball vs. Snowmobile: A Comparison of Snowball and Snowmobile Methods for Moving Data to the Cloud
So let’s get going now.
Application Case for Information Migration
The amount of data collected is growing daily due to the quicker adoption of smartphones, satellites, and faster internet speeds. For instance, a satellite imagery company may already be regularly updating and storing petabytes of earthly data. For them, expanding storage capacity would be extremely expensive and logistically difficult in terms of space, power supply, security, and other considerations. This is where AWS and other cloud providers will be useful. Other applications for which businesses store vast volumes of data include the storage of video libraries, genetic sequences, and seismic data.
Learn everything there is to know about data migration with the AWS Certification and Training.
Some companies, like Satellite Imagery Company, would prefer to shift their data and applications to the cloud and delegate their storage needs—such as security, backup, and extra storage—to the cloud provider. In this manner, the Satellite Imagery Company may concentrate on its primary business in order to attract new clients and offer them greater value, channels of communication, etc.
However, transporting Petabytes of data via the internet has unique difficulties. A dedicated 100 Mbps connection will require more than 100 days to transport 100 terabytes of data, according to this AWS documentation. It will take almost a year to move Petabytes of data, so forget about it. Not only does it take time, but network bandwidth costs more, and using a public internet leads to the risk of data spying. This is where AWS Snowmobile and Snowball services become relevant.
The AWS Snowball and Snowmobile Tutorial continues with AWS Snowball.
AWS Snowball
The Snowball is a tough gadget that can be checked onto flights, is somewhat larger than a suitcase, and is explosion proof. Here are two links that show you how durable a snowball is: 1 and 2.
Using the AWS Direct Connect Service is another way to expedite the data transfer between the Data Center and the AWS Cloud. By using this service, you can create a dedicated line with consistent high bandwidth and stability between your own data center and the AWS Cloud.
Let’s examine data movement in this AWS Snowball and Snowmobile Tutorial next.
How To Use Snowball To Move Data Into The AWS Cloud
The general procedures for transferring data from your own data center to the AWS cloud are listed below.
Step 1: Depending on the volume of data to be transferred, request one or more Snowball devices from AWS. AWS offers two variants of the Snowball, with storage capacities of 50 and 80 TB, which can be bought using the management panel.
Step 2: The Snowball would be shipped to the customer via AWS. The next step would be to link it to the local network and use the AWS Client software to move the data into the Snowball. The data is automatically stored and encrypted.
Step 3: The data needs to be couriered to AWS after being transferred to the Snowball. The Snowball uses e-ink to automatically fill in the AWS location’s address. Since the Snowball’s data is encrypted (256-bit encryptions using AWS KMS Keys), there’s a chance that it may be tampered with or that someone could try to extract the data. Everything is safeguarded.
Step 4: After receiving the Snowball, the AWS team connects it to the cloud, decrypts the data, and transfers it to S3.
Step 5: The Snowball is deleted so that no one can access it again after the data has been transferred to S3.
Step 6: The customer’s access to the data in S3 is the last and final step. The data can then be transferred to EBS, EFS, DynamoDB, and a number of other AWS services.
The procedures listed above closely resemble how we move data between laptops when we’re not connected to a network. After inserting the USB drive into the original laptop, the data is copied to the drive. Copy the data from the USB drive and replace it into the target laptop. Although the procedures listed above are for moving data from our own data center to the AWS cloud, you can also move data in the opposite direction by following the same steps in the opposite order. In this manner, the data is not locked.
When it makes sense to close an existing data center and migrate everything to the cloud, the Snowball can also be used for data center migration, in addition to moving the data from existing applications to the AWS Cloud. Compared to sending the data over the somewhat slow public internet, this method expedites the changeover. Obtaining the AWS Cloud Migration Certification is the most effective approach to start an AWS migration.