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Compute |
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Virtual servers are called EC2 instances
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Virtual servers are called cloud instances (equivalent to EC2 instances in AWS)
https://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#user-guide/understanding_instances.html
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Azure Stack allows for the deployment of virtual servers called virtual machines
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-compute-overview
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VM Type - General Purpose
Details
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The SBE1 EC2 instance is the general purpose offering
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Virtual machine hardware can be configured to take full advantage of the underlying hosts hardware. A collection of instance types can be customized in terms of vCPUs, memory, and disk.
https://libvirt.org/formatdomain.html
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General purpose VMs are Basic A, Standard A, Av2-series, D-series, DS-series, Dv2-series, DSv2-series
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vm-sizes#general-purpose
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VM Type - Compute Optimized
Details
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The SBE-C EC2 instance is the compute optimized offering
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Compute-optimized instance types can be customized by modifying the instance type
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/euca-modify-instance-type.html
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Computed optimized VMs are F-series, Fs-series, Fsv2-series
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vm-sizes#compute-optimized
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VM Type - Memory Optimized
Details
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There is no memory optimized offering
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Memory-optimized instance types can be customized by modifying the instance type
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/euca-modify-instance-type.html
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Memory optimized VMs are D-series, DS-series, Dv2-series, DSv2-series
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vm-sizes#memory-optimized
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VM Type - Accelerated (GPU)
Details
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The SBE-G EC2 instance is the accelerated GPU offering
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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GPU instance types can be customized through advanced configuration only. No official documentation.
https://libvirt.org/formatdomain.html
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There are no accelerated VM offerings with a GPU
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vm-sizes
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You get access to a subset of metadata typically available to EC2 instances through an internal URL
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/edge-compute-instance-metadata.html
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Metadata URL, featuring EC2-compatible information and thus compatible with cloud-init, is reachable from instances.
https://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/image-guide/ig_task_prepare_image.html
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While Azure has an Instance Metadata service, this functionality is not currently supported on Azure Stack
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vm-considerations
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Rapid Provisioning
Details
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You can specify the job and resources and Amazon will configure the device for you and ship it out to you
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/how-it-works.html
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System components enable fast provisioning, particularly of EBS-backed instances.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/euca-run-instances.html
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You can easily and quickly deploy virtual machines using the Azure Stack console
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-compute-overview
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Resize existing VM
Details
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Typically resize an instance using CLI modify-instance-attribute on instanceType attribute but Snowball Edge only allows you to modify userdata
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2-endpoint.html#cli-support-ec2-edge
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EBS-backed instances can be resized after stopping by modifying InstanceType attribute via ModifyInstanceAttribute request (in CLI or Console).
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This functionality is supported in Azure Stack as well
https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/resize-virtual-machines/
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Resource Management
Details
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Resources such as EC2 instances cannot be managed through the console after the device is created and must instead be managed through the CLI/API adding a level of complexity
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Resources can be managed from either the Console or CLI/API
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#admin-guide/manage_resources.html
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The Azure Resource Manager provides a platform to manage all resources deployed within the Azure Stack
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-overview#how-is-azure-stack-managed
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A cluster of 5-10 Snowball Edges can be created to offer increased durability and locally scale up or down storage on demand
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/UsingCluster.html
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AWS AutoScaling APIs are supported, with performance-based triggers for up- and down-scaling.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#admin-guide/manage_resources_as.html
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Azure Stack includes scale sets which allow for automatic scaling of instances based on load
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/virtual-machine-scale-sets/overview
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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Images (akin to AMIs and AKIs) can be created and shared with other cloud users. Existing instances can be saved into an image.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#shared/image_section.html
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You can create and publish a custom marketplace item
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-create-and-publish-marketplace-item
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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Instances can be imported using raw disk or VHD formats. Exports done manually at hypervisor level. No API support for the operation exists.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/euca-import-instance.html
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You can import and export a disk used by a VM. In addition, you may be able to import/export a VM state but this is not confirmed (see details)
You can import and export a disk used by a VM Link to uploading Link to downloading. In addition, you may be able to import/export a VM state but this is not confirmed Link to export state Link to import state
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VM live migration
Details
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AWS does not support live VM migration and as such we shouldnt expect Snowball Edge to do this
AWS does not support live VM migration and as such we shouldnt expect Snowball Edge to do this
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VMs can be live-migrated using CLI / API. In the event of a host failure instances to not automatically restart.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/euserv-migrate-instances.html
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Azure Stack supports live VM migration as a preventative measure to protect resources from failing hardware
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-network
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VM to host affinity
Details
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When deploying a cluster, you can select which nodes an instance runs on
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Not supported. Can only be achieved by backend administration using instance migration.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#admin-guide/manage_nodes.html
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This capability is not supported by Azure Stack
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VM to host anti-affinity
Details
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When deploying a cluster, you can select which nodes an instance runs on thus also choosing which nodes it does not run on
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2.html
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Not supported. Can only be achieved by backend administration using instance migration.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#admin-guide/manage_nodes.html
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Azure Stack provides Availability Sets which replicate the VM across different hosts for high availability thus enforcing host anti-affinity
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vm-considerations
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Networking |
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Cloud virtual networking
Details
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The EC2 instances can have virtual network interfaces attached to them which allows them to communicate with each other and outside devices
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/network-config-ec2-edge.html
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Overlays a virtual network on top of your existing network. Supports EDGE (EC2 Classic) and VPCMIDO (AWS VPC) modes.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#install-guide/configure_network_modes.html
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The Network Resource Provider delivers a series of Software Defined Networking (SDN) and Network Function Virtualization (NFV) features
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-overview
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Cross-premises connectivity
Details
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The Snowball Edge connects into the datacenter and allows for transfer of data between the datacenter and AWS albeit in a slow snail-mail fashion
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/whatisedge.html
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Support for AWS VPN Gateway is available but only when using VPCMIDO network mode.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/vpc_euca2ools_intro.html
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Cross-premises connectivity can be established in Azure Stacks which are deployed in the connected mode
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-vpn-gateway-about-vpn-gateways
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DNS hostname resolution
Details
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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DNS names for VM instances is supported automatically
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#shared/setting_up_dns.html
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Azure Stack supports DNS hostname resolution
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-dns
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DNS zone management
Details
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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No mention in the documentation
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Azure Stack supports the creation and management of DNS zones and records using both the console and the API
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-dns
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You can delete the virtual network interface attached to an EC2 instance and then create a new virtual network interface for that EC2 instance with a new static IP address
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2-edge-client.html
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Elastic IP and Elastic Network Interface functionality enables flexible IP address assignment.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#shared/console_manage_eips.html
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You can reassign an IP by modifying the virtual network interface or by deleting it and creating a new one (Experience)
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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Elastic Load Balancer is an included service.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#troubleshooting-guide/ts_elb.html
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The Azure Stack provides load balancing functionality
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-network-differences
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Network Interfaces
Details
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The device has a set of external network interfaces for connectivity into the customer datacenter (see details)
The device has a set of external network interfaces for connectivity into the customer datacenter link to getting started as well as the ability to create limited virtual network interfaces for EC2 instances link to network configuration
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Elastic Network Interface functionality allows attaching and detaching of virtual NICs to instances
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#user-guide/vpc_concepts_elastic_net_interfaces_eni.html
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You can create and modify network interfaces attached to virtual machines (Experience)
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Outbound Network Connectivity
Details
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The device has a set of external network interfaces for connectivity into the customer datacenter (see details)
The device has a set of external network interfaces for connectivity into the customer datacenter link to getting started as well as the ability to create limited virtual network interfaces for EC2 instances link to network config. Once connected into the datacenter, the customer can further expose the device to either his/her own network as well as larger networks like the Internet
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Can be configured to connect to external networks with both EDGE (EC2 Classic) and VPCMIDO (Amazon VPC) networking modes.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#ops-guide/ops_networking.html
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The Azure Stack is integrated into the customers datacenter and has outbound network connectivity to the customers border
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-datacenter-integration
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Public IP Address
Details
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Can attach a virtual network interface to your EC2 instance and specify a public IP address for use
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/network-config-ec2-edge.html
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Public IP addresses can be assigned to instances either automatically or from a pool of Elastic IP addresses.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#ops-guide/ops_networking.html
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Azure Stack supports IPv4 public addresses
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-network-differences
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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Can be customized to use SR-IOV for instance networking by advanced configuration only. No official documentation.
https://wiki.libvirt.org/page/Networking
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No mention of this capability for Azure Stack
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VM Security Groups
Details
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Security groups exist and can be configured for EC2 instances similar to the way they work in AWS with limitations
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/edge-security-groups.html
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Instances can be added to a security group which has a specific network security policy applied to it.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#user-guide/networking_security.html
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VM Security groups are provided as network security groups
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-overview
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Virtual Network Peering
Details
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Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) are not supported in Snowball Edge and thus you cannot make virtual networks to peer
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/edge-security-groups.html
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Ability to create a peering connection between two VPCs is supported.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#euca2ools-guide/euca-create-vpc-peering-connection.html
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Not supported as of 20190124
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-network-differences
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Storage |
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The Snowball Edge supports S3 (object storage) as its primary purpose is downloading customer data from a remote datacenter which can then later be transferred to S3 in AWS
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/whatisedge.html
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Supports S3-compatible object storage using its Object Storage Gateway (OSG)
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#install-guide/config_object_storage.html
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Azure Stack provides blob storage for object storage
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-storage-overview
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Block storage must exist as the Snowball Edge is capable of hosting EC2 instances but end-users have no access to block storage and cannot attach volumes themselves to EC2 instances
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/using-ec2-endpoint.html#unsupported-features-ec2-adapter
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Elastic Block Storage (EBS) provides block-level storage volumes that you can attach to instances.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#shared/using_block_storage.html
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Azure Stack supports page blobs which are the equivalent of block storage
Link to storage overview, Link to services
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Shared file storage
Details
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Once connected to the datacenter, the S3 Adapter for Snowball or NFS mount point can be used to upload data from the datacenter into the Snowball Edge
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/how-it-works.html
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Shared file storage is not supported.
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Azure Stack does not provide a SMB or NFS solution
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By its nature, the device offers data backup for data stored within a datacenter albeit in a slower process
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/whatisedge.html
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Procedures for backing up and restoring everything except root disks of instance-store (ephemeral) instances are documented.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#ops-guide/ops_recovery.html
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Microsoft Azure Backup Server can be used to back up data within Azure Stack (see details)
Microsoft Azure Backup Server can be used to back up data within Azure Stack Link to backup. In addition, data store on Azure Stack is replicated using the locally redundant storage methodology Link to storage cheat sheet
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Local Data Protection
Details
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The Snowball Edge employs defense-in-depth for data protection including a ruggedized tamper-reistant enclosure, 256-bit encrpytion, and a TPM
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/security-considerations.html
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Relies on replication features of underlying software and hardware (RAID and Ceph) for local data protection from hardware failures.
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Local data is encrypted and replicated across nodes in case of hardware failure
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-acs-differences#cheat-sheet-storage-differences
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Remote Replication
Details
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By its nature, the device offers remote replication for data stored within a datacenter albeit in a slower process
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/whatisedge.html
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No special functionality for automatic remote replication are provided, but backup process can include transfer of backed up data offsite for disaster recovery.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#admin-guide/backup_euca.html
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The only replication option available is locally redundant storage
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-acs-differences#cheat-sheet-storage-differences
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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EBS snapshots are supported in both Web console and via CLI/API.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#shared/console_manage_snapshots.html
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Snapshots are supported for blobs (limited to 1000 per blob) but not for page blobs
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-acs-differences
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Storage Architecture
Details
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Each Snowball Edge node provides betwee 42TB and 80TB (see details)
Each Snowball Edge node provides betwee 42TB and 80TB (depending on type) of usable space with an additional 7.68TB of dedicated SSD storage for instances (compute). Snowball Edges can be clustered for additional storage space and durability Link to cluster info Link to specifications
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Deployed as customer configurable two-level storage system. Support for HCI not documented.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#install-guide/config_storage.html
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Azure Stack provides for either a hybrid or all-flash storage architechture
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-storage-infrastructure-overview
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No mention in the developer guide
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/
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Supports only a single storage class for both block and object storage.
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Azure Stack supports standard and premium storage
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure-stack/user/azure-stack-acs-differences
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Storage Scalability
Details
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Multiple Snowball Edges can be clustered to increase data durability as well as locally grow and shrink storage on demand
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/snowball/latest/developer-guide/whatisedge.html
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The Storage Controller (SC) and Object Storage Gateway (OSG) are molular and enable storage capacity to be dynamically allocated independent of the system.
http://docs.eucalyptus.cloud/eucalyptus/4.4.5/index.html#install-guide/config_storage.html
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Azure Stack operators can increase the overall capacity of an existing scale unit by adding additional scale unit nodes
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-stack/azure-stack-add-scale-node
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