Block Storage

• 1: Overview
• 1.1: Monitoring Metrics
• 2: How-to guides
• 2.1: Connecting to the Server
• 2.2: Using Snapshots
• 2.3: Move Volume
• 3: API Reference
• 4: CLI Reference
• 5: Release Note

1 - Overview

Service Overview

Block Storage is a high-performance storage that stores data in block units arranged in a certain size and array.
It is suitable for large-capacity, high-performance requirements such as databases and mail servers, and users can directly assign volumes to servers for use.

Key Features

• Large-capacity Volume Provision: Volumes for OS configuration are created with at least the minimum capacity per image and can be expanded up to 12TB, and volumes for data storage other than OS can be created and expanded with capacities from a minimum of 8GB to a maximum of 12TB. Capacity expansion is performed stably in an online state.
• High Performance Based on Full SSD: Provides high durability and availability based on redundant Controllers and Disk Array Raid. Since Full SSD disks are provided by default, it is suitable for high-speed data processing tasks such as database workloads.
• Snapshot Backup: Recovery of changed and deleted data is possible through the image snapshot function. Users can select a snapshot created at the desired time point from the list to perform recovery.

Service Architecture

Provided Features

Block Storage provides the following features:

• Volume Name: Users can set or modify names for each volume.
• Capacity: Volumes can be created with capacities from a minimum of 8GB to a maximum of 12TB, and can be expanded during use. OS basic volumes can be created with at least the minimum capacity per image.
• Connected Server: You can connect or disconnect by selecting a Virtual Server.
  • Multi Attach: Connects to 2 or more servers, no limit on the number of connected servers per volume, and Virtual Server can connect up to 26 volumes
• Encryption: AES-256 algorithm encryption is applied by default to all volumes of Block Storage, and when the volume is HDD/SSD_KMS disk type, it additionally provides transfer encryption between the instance and the Block Storage section connected to the instance.
• Snapshot: Recovery of changed and deleted data is possible through the image snapshot function. Users select a snapshot created at the desired time point from the list to recover.
• Volume Transfer: You can transfer volumes to another Account through the volume transfer function.
• Monitoring: You can check monitoring information such as IOPS, Latency, Throughput, etc. through the Cloud Monitoring service.

Components

You can create a volume by entering capacity according to your service scale and performance requirements and selecting a disk type. When using the snapshot function, you can recover data to the desired time point.

Volume

Volume is the basic creation unit of the Block Storage service and is used as data storage space. Users create a volume by selecting a name, capacity, and disk type, then connect it to a Virtual Server for use.
The volume name creation rules are as follows:

Snapshot

Snapshot is an image backup of a volume at a specific point in time. Users can check the snapshot name and creation date/time from the snapshot list and select the snapshot they want to recover, and can recover changed or deleted data through that snapshot.
Notes for using snapshots are as follows:

Prerequisite Services

This is a list of services that must be pre-configured before creating this service. Please prepare in advance by referring to the guides provided for each service.

1.1 - Monitoring Metrics

Block Storage monitoring metrics

The table below shows the monitoring metrics of Block Storage that can be checked through Cloud Monitoring. For detailed usage of Cloud Monitoring, refer to the Cloud Monitoring guide.

2 - How-to guides

Users can create the Block Storage service by entering required information through the Samsung Cloud Platform Console and selecting detailed options.

Creating Block Storage

You can create and use the Block Storage service through the Samsung Cloud Platform Console.

To create Block Storage, follow these steps:

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. This will take you to the Virtual Server Service Home page.

2. Click the Block Storage menu. This will take you to the Block Storage List page.

3. Click the Create Service button on the Block Storage page. This will take you to the Create Block Storage page.

4. Enter the required information for creating the service on the Create Block Storage page and select detailed options.

   Item	Required	Description
   Volume Name	Required	Volume name Enter 255 characters using English letters, numbers, spaces, and special characters (-, _)
   Snapshot	Optional	Select snapshot to use when creating volume through snapshot After checking the Use item, you can select a snapshot When creating service through snapshot recovery volume, provides recovery snapshot name If not selected, an empty volume is created
   Disk Type	Required	Select disk type SSD_Provisioned: SSD volume where IOPS and Throughput can be set SSD/HDD: General SSD/HDD volume SSD/HDD_KMS: Additional encryption volume SSD/HDD_MultiAttach: Volume that can be connected to 2 or more servers Cannot modify after service creation When creating service through snapshot recovery volume, it is set the same as the original and cannot be modified
   Capacity	Optional	Set capacity Can create within 8~12,228GB Enter number of Units provided in 8GB increments When creating service through snapshot recovery volume, enter capacity equal to or larger than the original
   Max IOPS	Required	Enter maximum IOPS value between 5,000~20,000 Can only set when Disk Type is SSD_Provisioned
   Max Throughput	Required	Enter maximum Throughput value between 250~1,000 Can only set when Disk Type is SSD_Provisioned

   Table. Block Storage service information input items

5. Review the detailed information and estimated charges in the Summary panel, then click the Create button.

   • Once creation is complete, verify the created resource on the Block Storage List page.

Viewing Block Storage Details

Block Storage service allows you to view and modify the complete resource list and detailed information. The Block Storage Details page consists of Details, Snapshot List, Tags, and Operation History tabs.

To view detailed information of Block Storage service, follow these steps:

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. This will take you to the Virtual Server Service Home page.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. This will take you to the Block Storage List page.
3. Click the resource for which you want to view detailed information on the Block Storage List page. This will take you to the Block Storage Details page.
   • The Block Storage Details page displays status information and additional feature information, and consists of Details, Snapshot List, Tags, and Operation History tabs.

     Item	Description
     Volume Status	Status of the volume Creating: Being created Downloading: Being created (OS image being applied) Available: Creation complete, can connect to server Reserved: Waiting for server connection Attaching: Connecting to server Detaching: Disconnecting from server In Use: Server connection complete Deleting: Service being terminated Awaiting Transfer: Waiting for volume transfer Extending: Capacity expansion Error Extending: Abnormal state during capacity expansion Backing Up: Volume being backed up Restoring Backup: Volume backup being recovered Error Backing Up: Volume backup abnormal state Error Restoring: Volume backup recovery abnormal state Error Deleting: Abnormal state during deletion Error Managing: Abnormal state Error: Abnormal state Maintenance: Temporary maintenance state Reverting: Recovering from snapshot
     Volume Transfer	Transfer volume to another Account For details on volume transfer, see Volume Transfer
     Create Snapshot	Immediately create a snapshot at the creation point For details on snapshot creation, see Creating a Snapshot
     Snapshot Recovery	Recover volume to the latest snapshot in Available state For details on snapshot recovery, see Recovering a Snapshot
     Service Termination	Button to terminate the service

     Table. Status information and additional features

Details

On the Block Storage List page, you can view detailed information of the selected resource and modify information if necessary.

Snapshot List

On the Block Storage List page, you can view snapshots of the selected resource.

Tags

On the Block Storage List page, you can view tag information of the selected resource, and add, modify, or delete tags.

Operation History

On the Block Storage List page, you can view the operation history of the selected resource.

Managing Block Storage Resources

If you need to modify settings of created Block Storage or add or delete connected servers, you can perform tasks on the Block Storage Details page.

Modifying Volume Name

You can modify the name of a volume. To modify the volume name, follow these steps:

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. This will take you to the Virtual Server Service Home page.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. This will take you to the Block Storage List page.
3. Click the resource for which you want to modify the volume name on the Block Storage List page. This will take you to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Click the Modify button of Volume Name. The Modify Volume Name popup window opens.
5. Enter the volume name and click the Confirm button.

Expanding Capacity

You can expand the capacity of a volume. To expand capacity, follow these steps:

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. This will take you to the Virtual Server Service Home page.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. This will take you to the Block Storage List page.
3. Click the resource for which you want to expand capacity on the Block Storage List page. This will take you to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Click the Modify button of Capacity. The Modify Capacity popup window opens.
5. Enter the capacity and click the Confirm button.

Modifying Connected Server

You can connect or disconnect servers. To modify connected server, follow these steps:

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. This will take you to the Virtual Server Service Home page.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. This will take you to the Block Storage List page.
3. Click the resource for which you want to modify connected server on the Block Storage List page. This will take you to the Block Storage Details page.
4. When adding Virtual Server connection, click the Add button in the Connected Server item. The Add Connected Server popup window opens.
5. Select the Virtual Server you want to connect and click the Confirm button.
6. When disconnecting Virtual Server connection, click the Disconnect button in the Connected Server item.
   • Be sure to perform disconnection work (Umount, Disk Offline) from the server before disconnecting.

Terminating Block Storage

You can reduce operating costs by terminating unused Block Storage. However, since terminating a service may immediately stop the operating service, you should proceed with termination after fully considering the impact of service interruption.

To terminate Block Storage, follow these steps:

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. This will take you to the Virtual Server Service Home page.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. This will take you to the Block Storage List page.
3. Select the resource to terminate on the Block Storage List page and click the Terminate Service button.
4. When termination is complete, verify that the resource has been terminated on the Block Storage List page.

2.1 - Connecting to the Server

When using a volume on a server, connection or disconnection work is required.
From the Block Storage Details page, add the connection server and then connect to the server to perform the connection work (Mount, Disk Online). After use, perform the disconnection work (Umount, Disk Offline) and then remove the connection server.

Connecting to the Server (Mount, Disk Online)

To use the volume added to the connection server, you must connect to the server and perform the connection work (Mount, Disk Online). Follow the procedure below.

Linux Operating System

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. Move to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. Move to the Block Storage List page.
3. On the Block Storage List page, click the resource to be used by the connection server. Move to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Check the server in the Connection Server section and connect to it.
5. Refer to the procedure below to connect (Mount) the volume.

• Switch to root privileges

  $ sudo -i
  

• Check the disk

  # lsblk
  NAME    MAJ:MIN  RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
  vda       252:0   0    24G  0 disk
  ├─vda1    252:1   0  23.9G  0 part [SWAP]
  └─vda14   252:14  0     4M  0 part /
  └─vda15   252:15  0   106M  0 part /boot/efi
  vdb       252:16  0    24G  0 disk
  

• Create a partition

  # fdisk /dev/vdb
  Command (m for help): n
  
  Partition type:
     p   primary (0 primary, 0 extended, 4 free)
     e   extended
  Select (default p): p
  Partition number (1-4, default 1): 1
  First sector (2048-50331646, default 2048):
  Last sector, +/-sectors or +/-size{K,M,G,T,P} (2048-50331646, default 50331646):
  
  Created a new partition 1 of type 'Linux' and of size 24 GiB.
  
  Command (m for help): w
  The partition table has been altered!
  Calling ioctl() to re-read partition table.
  Syncing disks.
  

• Set the partition format (e.g., ext4)

  # lsblk
  NAME    MAJ:MIN  RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
  vda       252:0   0    24G  0 disk
  ├─vda1    252:1   0  23.9G  0 part [SWAP]
  └─vda14   252:14  0     4M  0 part /
  └─vda15   252:15  0   106M  0 part /boot/efi
  vdb       252:16  0    24G  0 disk
  └─vdb1    252:17  0    24G  0 part
  
  # mkfs.ext4 /dev/vdb1
  mke2fs 1.46.5 (30-Dec-2021)
  ...
  Writing superblocks and filesystem accounting information: done
  

• Mount the volume

  # mkdir /data
  
  # mount /dev/vdb1 /data
  
  # lsblk
  NAME    MAJ:MIN  RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
  vda       252:0   0    24G  0 disk
  ├─vda1    252:1   0  23.9G  0 part [SWAP]
  └─vda14   252:14  0     4M  0 part /
  └─vda15   252:15  0   106M  0 part /boot/efi
  vdb       252:16  0    24G  0 disk
  └─vdb1    252:17  0    24G  0 part /data
  
  # vi /etc/fstab
  (add) /dev/vdb1     /data       ext4     defaults   0 0
  

Windows Operating System

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. Move to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. Move to the Block Storage List page.
3. On the Block Storage List page, click the resource to be used by the connection server. Move to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Check the server in the Connection Server section and connect to it.
5. Refer to the procedure below to connect (Disk Online) the volume.

   • Right-click the Windows start icon and run Computer Management

   • In the Computer Management tree structure, select Storage > Disk Management

   • Check the disk

     

   • Bring the disk online

     

   • Initialize the disk

     

     

   • Format the partition

     

     

     

   • Check the volume

     

Disconnecting from the Server (Umount, Disk Offline)

Connect to the server and perform the disconnection work (Umount, Disk Offline), and then remove the connection server from the console.

Follow the procedure below.

Linux Operating System

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. Move to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. Move to the Block Storage List page.
3. On the Block Storage List page, click the resource to be disconnected from the connection server. Move to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Check the server in the Connection Server section and connect to it.
5. Refer to the procedure below to disconnect (Umount) the volume.
   • Umount the volume

  # umount /dev/vdb1 /data
   
  # lsblk
  NAME    MAJ:MIN  RM   SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
  vda       252:0   0    24G  0 disk
  ├─vda1    252:1   0  23.9G  0 part [SWAP]
  └─vda14   252:14  0     4M  0 part /
  └─vda15   252:15  0   106M  0 part /boot/efi
  vdb       252:16  0    24G  0 disk
  └─vdb1    252:17  0    24G  0 part
   
  # vi /etc/fstab
  (delete) /dev/vdb1     /data       ext4     defaults   0 0

Windows Operating System

1. Click the All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. Move to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.

2. Click the Block Storage menu. Move to the Block Storage List page.

3. On the Block Storage List page, click the resource to be disconnected from the connection server. Move to the Block Storage Details page.

4. Check the server in the Connection Server section and connect to it.

5. Unmount the file system.

6. Refer to the procedure below to disconnect (Disk Offline) the volume.

   • Right-click the Windows start icon and run Computer Management

   • In the Computer Management tree structure, select Storage > Disk Management

   • Right-click the disk to be removed and run Offline

     

   • Check the disk status

     

2.2 - Using Snapshots

You can create, delete, or restore snapshots of the created Block Storage using snapshots. You can perform actions on the Block Storage Details page and Snapshot List page.

Create Snapshot

You can create a snapshot of the current point in time. To create a snapshot, follow these steps.

1. All Services > Compute > Virtual Server Click the menu. Navigate to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. Go to the Block Storage List page.
3. Block Storage List On the page, click the resource to create a snapshot. Block Storage Details Go to the page.
4. Click the Create Snapshot button. The Create Snapshot popup window opens.
5. Enter Snapshot Name and Description, then click the Confirm button. It creates a snapshot of the current point in time.
6. Snapshot List Click the button. Block Storage Snapshot List Navigate to the page.
7. Check the generated snapshot.

Edit Snapshot

You can edit snapshot information. To edit the snapshot name or description, follow the steps below.

1. All Services > Compute > Virtual Server Click the menu. Navigate to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Block Storage Click the menu. Navigate to the Block Storage List page.
3. Block Storage List page, click the resource to edit the snapshot information. You will be taken to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Snapshot List Click the button. Block Storage Snapshot List Navigate to the page.
5. After confirming the snapshot to edit, click the More button.
6. Click the Edit button. The Edit Snapshot popup opens.
7. Enter Snapshot name or Description and click the Confirm button.

Recover Snapshot

You can restore a Block Storage volume to the latest snapshot in Available state. To perform snapshot restoration, follow the steps below.

1. All Services > Compute > Virtual Server Click the menu. Navigate to Virtual Server’s Service Home page.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. Navigate to the Block Storage List page.
3. Click the resource to recover from a snapshot on the Block Storage List page. You will be taken to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Connection Server If there is a server added in the item, after connecting to the server, perform the disconnect operation (Umount, Disk Offline).

• For detailed information about server disconnection, please refer to Disconnect Server.

5. Block Storage Details page, click the Disconnect button in the Connected Server item to remove the server. The connected server will be removed.
   • For details on disconnecting the connection server, see Edit Connection Server.
6. Snapshot List Click the button. Block Storage Snapshot List Navigate to the page.
7. Check the latest snapshot in Available state. The volume will be restored with that snapshot.
8. Click the Snapshot Recovery button. The Snapshot Recovery popup opens.
9. After checking the Snapshot name and creation date/time, click the Confirm button.
   • When recovery starts, it becomes Reverting, and when completed, it becomes Available.
10. Detailed Information Click the page button. Block Storage Detailed Page will navigate to.
11. Click the Add button of the Connected Server. Reconnect the Virtual Server.
    • For detailed information about adding a connection server, please refer to Modify Connection Server.
12. After connecting to the added server, perform the connection tasks (Mount, Disk Online) according to the operating system.
    • For detailed information about server connection, please refer to Connect to Server.

Create snapshot recovery volume

You can create a volume using a snapshot. To create a snapshot recovery volume, follow the steps below.

1. All Services > Compute > Virtual Server Click the menu. Navigate to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. You will be taken to the Block Storage list page.
3. Click the resource to create a snapshot recovery volume on the Block Storage List page. You will be taken to the Block Storage Details page.
4. Snapshot List Click the button. Block Storage Snapshot List Navigate to the page.
5. After checking Snapshot name, description and Creation date/time, click the More button of the snapshot you want to restore.
6. Click Create Recovery Volume. The Create Snapshot Recovery Volume popup opens.
7. Click the Confirm button. You will be taken to the Create Block Storage page.
8. Block Storage creation On the page, enter the information required to create the service, and select detailed options.
   • Please enter the volume name and size. You can enter a size that is greater than or equal to the original volume.
   • Disk type is set the same as the original and cannot be modified.

     Category	Required	Detailed description
     Volume Name	Required	Volume Name Enter up to 255 characters using English letters, numbers, spaces, and special characters (-, _)
     Disk Type	Required	Select Disk Type HDD: Standard volume SSD: High-performance standard volume HDD/SSD_KMS: Volume that additionally provides transmission encryption between the instance and Block Storage HDD/SSD_MultiAttach: Volume that can be attached to more than one server Cannot be modified after service creation When creating a service via snapshot recovery volume creation, it is set identical to the original and cannot be modified
     Capacity	Select	Capacity Setting Can be created within 8~12,228GB Enter the number of units provided in 8GB increments When creating a service via snapshot recovery volume creation, input a capacity equal to or larger than the original
     Recovery Snapshot Name	Optional	Name of the recovery snapshot used when creating the volume Provides the recovery snapshot name when creating a service through snapshot recovery volume creation

     Table. Block Storage Service Information Input Items
9. Summary Check the detailed information and estimated billing amount generated in the panel, and click the Complete button.
   • Once creation is complete, check the created resource on the Block Storage List page.

Delete Snapshot

You can select a snapshot to delete. To delete a snapshot, follow these steps.

1. All Services > Compute > Virtual Server Click the menu. Go to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Click the Block Storage menu. Go to the Block Storage List page.
3. Block Storage List on the page, click the resource to delete the snapshot. Block Storage Details navigate to the page.
4. Snapshot List button, click it. Block Storage Snapshot List page, navigate to it.
5. After checking the snapshot name, description and creation date/time, click the more button of the snapshot you want to delete.
6. Delete Click the button. Snapshot List page, the snapshot will be removed.

2.3 - Move Volume

You can move the volume to a different Account, and if you move it, the volume will be removed from the existing location. You can perform volume migration from the Block Storage list or Block Storage detail page.

Volume previous

You can move a volume to a different account within the region. To move a volume, follow these steps.

1. Click All services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. It moves to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Block Storage menu is clicked. It moves to the Block Storage list page.
3. Block Storage list page, select the resource to be moved, and then click the More > Move Volume button at the top left of the list.
   • or click the Volume Migration button at the top of the Block Storage details page of the resource to be migrated.
4. When the pop-up window for volume migration appears, check the volume name you want to migrate and click the Confirm button.
5. When the popup window for previous completion opens, click the Confirm button. The Volume Transfer ID and Approval Key information will be downloaded as a text file.
6. The volume will be changed to Awaiting Transfer status.

Volume rollback cancel

The volume move can be cancelled after it is created. To cancel the volume move, follow these steps.

1. Click All services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. It moves to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Block Storage menu is clicked. It moves to the Block Storage list page.
3. Block Storage list page, click the resource to cancel the volume move. It moves to the Block Storage detail page.
   • You can cancel if the volume is in the Awaiting Transfer state.
4. Click the Volume Move Cancel button. The Volume Move Cancel popup window will open.
5. Check the volume name you want to cancel the volume move and click the Confirm button.
6. The volume will be changed to Available status.

Get previous volume

You can receive volumes from other accounts within the region. To receive a volume, follow these steps.

1. Click All Services > Compute > Virtual Server menu. It moves to the Service Home page of Virtual Server.
2. Block Storage menu is clicked. It moves to the Block Storage list page.
3. On the Block Storage list page, click the More > Receive Volume Transfer button in the upper left corner of the list. The Receive Volume Transfer popup window opens.4. Volume Migration Enter the Volume Migration ID and Approval Key provided when creating the volume migration.
4. Block Storage list page will have the volume created.

3 - API Reference

4 - CLI Reference

5 - Release Note

Block Storage