Snow Family

The Snow Family is a set of secure appliances that provide data collection and built-in computing capabilities. These devices are designed for use at the edge, in remote locations with limited or no data center access and unreliable network connectivity.

According to AWS best practices, if transferring more than 100 TB of data, using AWS Snow Family devices is generally more cost-effective and faster than transfer over a 10 Gbps Direct Connect.

Calculation:

• 10 Gbps ≈ 1.25 GB/second (theoretical max)

• Practical transfer speed is typically 70-80% of theoretical

• 100 TB would take approximately 100-120 hours over Direct Connect

• Additional factors: network consistency, bandwidth sharing, and data transfer costs

Consider Snow devices if:

1. Data volume > 100 TB

2. Transfer time sensitivity is critical

3. Network bandwidth is shared/inconsistent

4. Data transfer costs are a concern

Device Types

1. Snowcone

   • Small, robust edge computing device

   • Storage capacity: Up to 8TB

2. Snowball

   • Provides storage, compute, and GPU capabilities

   • Storage capacity: Up to 81TB

3. Snowmobile

   • Extreme-scale data transfer solution

   • Storage capacity: Up to 100PB

   • Delivered in a secure shipping container on a truck

Data Transfer

• Bidirectional data transfer capabilities (into and out of AWS)

• Secure method for large-scale data migration

Use Cases

1. Hybrid cloud deployments requiring on-premises storage

2. Data center migration when on-premises storage is at capacity

3. Storage Gateway deployment as a virtual machine (VM) on-premises

4. Edge computing in locations with limited connectivity

5. Large-scale data migration projects