The AWS Snow Family is a collection of physical devices designed for transferring large amounts of data to and from the AWS cloud, particularly in scenarios where bandwidth is limited or transferring data over the internet is impractical. The Snow Family includes three main products: AWS Snowcone, AWS Snowball, and AWS Snowmobile. Each device is tailored for specific use cases and data transfer needs.
1. AWS Snowcone
Overview:
- AWS Snowcone is the smallest member of the Snow Family, designed for edge computing and small-scale data transfer needs.
Key Features:
- Capacity: Each Snowcone device has a storage capacity of up to 8 TB.
- Portability: Compact and lightweight (about the size of a lunchbox), making it easy to transport to remote locations.
- Secure Data Transfer: Data is automatically encrypted using AWS Key Management Service (KMS) before being stored.
- Local Processing: Supports running AWS Lambda functions directly on the device for local data processing before transferring to the cloud.
- Use Cases: Ideal for small-scale data migrations, edge computing, and scenarios where internet connectivity is limited.
2. AWS Snowball
Overview:
- AWS Snowball is a larger, more powerful device designed for bulk data transfer, suitable for moving large datasets to AWS.
Key Features:
- Capacity: Each Snowball device can transfer up to 80 TB of data.
- Durable and Rugged: Built for tough environments, ensuring data integrity during transport.
- Local Processing: Supports local processing of data with AWS Lambda functions to filter or transform data before transfer.
- Seamless Integration: Works well with various AWS services for further data processing after transfer.
- Use Cases: Suitable for large-scale data migrations, disaster recovery, content distribution, and IoT data transfer.
3. AWS Snowmobile
Overview:
- AWS Snowmobile is the largest member of the Snow Family, designed for extremely large-scale data transfer, typically in the petabyte range.
Key Features:
- Capacity: Each Snowmobile can transfer up to 100 PB of data.
- Secure Transport: A shipping container on a semi-trailer truck, providing secure transport of large volumes of data.
- Data Ingestion: Data is transferred directly to AWS via a secure connection once the Snowmobile arrives at the AWS data center.
- Use Cases: Ideal for massive data migrations, such as moving entire data centers, archives, or large-scale media libraries to AWS.
Summary
The AWS Snow Family provides a range of solutions for organizations looking to move data to and from the AWS cloud. Each product in the Snow Family is designed for different use cases, capacities, and operational environments:
- AWS Snowcone: Best for small-scale data transfers and edge computing.
- AWS Snowball: Suitable for bulk data transfers and larger data migrations.
- AWS Snowmobile: Designed for massive data migrations on the order of petabytes.
These devices enable businesses to efficiently and securely transfer data to AWS, particularly in situations where traditional internet transfer methods are insufficient.