Storage Gateway

There are three different types of AWS Storage Gateway services:

1. Amazon S3 File Gateway (good file sharing):

   • Provides a file interface to Amazon S3

   • Supports SMB and NFS protocols

   • Files are stored as objects in S3 buckets

   • Maintains frequently accessed data in local cache for low-latency access

2. Volume Gateway:

   • Presents iSCSI block storage volumes to applications

   • Comes in two modes:

     • Cached Volumes: Primary data in S3, frequently accessed data cached locally (good for data migration)

     • Stored Volumes: Primary data stored locally, asynchronously backed up to S3 as EBS snapshots (good for backups)

3. Tape Gateway (previously called "AWS Storage Gateway – Virtual Tape Library"):

   • Provides a virtual tape infrastructure

   • Compatible with major backup software applications

   • Data is stored in virtual tapes backed by S3 and Glacier

   • Helps organizations replace physical tape infrastructure

Each gateway type serves different use cases:

• File Gateway: Best for file shares, data lakes, and general file storage

• Volume Gateway: Ideal for disaster recovery, backup, and cloud migration

• Tape Gateway: Perfect for organizations wanting to replace physical tape backup systems

Where is the data stored?

It depends on the gateway type:

1. File Gateway - Store data in S3, with local caching.

2. Volume Gateway:

   • Cached volumes - Store data in S3, cache frequently accessed data locally

   • Stored volumes - Store all data locally, backup to S3

3. Tape Gateway - Uses S3 and S3 Glacier

NOTE 1: While File Gateway and Volume Gateway Cached volumes seem similar, File Gateway provides file-level access (NFS/SMB) while Volume Gateway provides block-level access (iSCSI).

NOTE 2: Block storage uses iSCSI protocol, not SMB. SMB is for file-level access, while iSCSI is for block-level access.