Title

AWS re:Invent 2022 - Network-attached storage in the cloud with Amazon FSx (STG201)

Summary

• Prashant Bangley, general manager for FSx for Windows File Server, and Andy Crutch, head of product for FSx for NetApp ONTAP, presented on Amazon FSx and its capabilities for running network-attached storage (NAS) workloads in the cloud.
• Rebecca Sandheim from Vanguard shared their customer experience with Amazon FSx.
• The session covered the broad spectrum of file workloads and personas that benefit from file storage, including IT administrators, application owners, builders, and data scientists.
• Three usage patterns for file storage in the cloud were identified: running NAS in the cloud, leveraging cloud's compute scale for intensive workloads, and building cloud-native applications requiring easy data sharing.
• Amazon FSx offers purpose-built file systems for NAS and scale-out workloads, while Amazon EFS is designed for serverless, fully elastic file storage for builders.
• FSx provides easy migration to like-for-like storage with the same capabilities and APIs, eliminating the need for re-architecting or retraining.
• FSx offers four file system choices: FSx for NetApp ONTAP, OpenZFS, Windows File Server, and Lustre, each catering to different workload needs.
• FSx for Windows File Server is used for a variety of Windows workloads, offering compatibility and direct migration capabilities.
• FSx for NetApp ONTAP is a fully managed ONTAP file system in the cloud, supporting ONTAP's data management features and APIs.
• FSx for OpenZFS is designed for high-performance and scale, serving data-intensive workloads with efficient caching and performance features.
• New capabilities were announced for FSx ONTAP and OpenZFS, including improvements in performance, encryption in transit, and NVMe read caching.
• Customers benefit from FSx by improving reliability, raising security standards, optimizing TCO, increasing agility, automating storage deployments, and leveraging innovative data processing in the cloud.
• Vanguard's journey with Amazon FSx was highlighted, emphasizing the importance of not just focusing on cost but also on requirements and the benefits of a hybrid approach.

Insights

• Amazon FSx addresses the challenge of migrating on-prem NAS data to the cloud, which historically has been complex and time-consuming due to unique NAS features and dependencies.
• FSx's like-for-like storage migration approach significantly reduces the migration effort, allowing customers to retain familiar data access features and management APIs.
• The introduction of FSx for OpenZFS and enhancements to FSx for NetApp ONTAP demonstrate AWS's commitment to continuous innovation and performance improvement in their storage services.
• The customer anecdotes from John Holling Group and Vela Games illustrate real-world benefits of FSx, such as rapid recovery from infrastructure failure and significant reduction in game build times.
• The session highlighted the strategic importance of cloud storage in terms of reliability, security, cost optimization, agility, automation, and integration with other AWS services.
• Vanguard's experience with FSx underscores the value of a hybrid cloud approach and the need to consider a broader set of requirements beyond cost when modernizing file storage infrastructure.
• The session reflects AWS's broader strategy to provide a comprehensive set of managed services that simplify cloud adoption and enable customers to focus on adding business value rather than managing infrastructure.