In our OpenStack environment, we offer a variety of storage options to meet diverse computing needs. This page outlines our available storage solutions and how to use them effectively.

Cinder Block Storage

Most of our compute hosts do not have local storage. Instead, we provide Cinder block storage with various performance tiers to meet your application needs.

Available Cinder Storage Types

We offer three tiers of Cinder block storage, each with its own Quality of Service (QoS) settings to ensure consistent performance:

1. Wood Storage

Our standard storage option, suitable for most general-purpose workloads.

QoS Specifications:

  • Write IOPS: 60,000 (max 120,000)
  • Read IOPS: 60,000 (max 120,000)
  • Write Throughput: 250 MB/s
  • Read Throughput: 500 MB/s

2. Silver Storage

Enhanced performance storage, ideal for applications requiring higher I/O operations.

QoS Specifications:

  • Write IOPS: 60,000 (max 120,000)
  • Read IOPS: 60,000 (max 120,000)
  • Write Throughput: 250 MB/s
  • Read Throughput: 500 MB/s

3. Gold Storage (Coming Soon)

Our highest performance tier, designed for I/O-intensive workloads.

QoS Specifications:

  • Write IOPS: 60,000 (max 120,000)
  • Read IOPS: 60,000 (max 120,000)
  • Write Throughput: 250 MB/s
  • Read Throughput: 500 MB/s

Note: Gold storage is not yet available. Please check with the platform team for the expected release date.

Creating and Attaching Volumes

Creating a Volume

  1. Navigate to “Volumes” > “Volumes” in the OpenStack dashboard
  2. Click “+ Create Volume”
  3. Fill in the details:
    • Volume Name: Choose a descriptive name
    • Description: (Optional) Add any relevant notes
    • Volume Source: Usually “No source, empty volume”
    • Type: Select “Wood” or “Silver” based on your performance needs
    • Size (GiB): Specify the required size
  4. Click “Create Volume”

Attaching a Volume to an Instance

  1. From the “Volumes” list, find your volume
  2. Click the dropdown next to the volume and select “Manage Attachments”
  3. Choose the instance you want to attach the volume to
  4. Click “Attach Volume”

Best Practices

  1. Right-sizing: Choose the appropriate storage tier based on your application’s I/O requirements
  2. Monitoring: Regularly monitor your volume’s performance to ensure it meets your needs
  3. Backups: Implement regular backup strategies for critical data
  4. Detach before delete: Always detach volumes from instances before deleting them
  5. Encryption: Consider using encrypted volumes for sensitive data (not yet available)

Volume Snapshots

Volumes snapshots are currently not supported

Extending Volumes

If you need more space:

  1. Go to “Volumes” > “Volumes”
  2. Click the dropdown next to the volume and select “Extend Volume”
  3. Specify the new size (must be larger than the current size)
  4. Click “Extend Volume”

Note: After extending the volume, you may need to resize the filesystem from within your instance.

Troubleshooting

If you experience performance issues:

  1. Check that you’re using the appropriate storage tier for your workload
  2. Verify that you haven’t exceeded the QoS limits
  3. Consider splitting I/O intensive workloads across multiple volumes

Choosing the Right Storage Solution

Consider the following when selecting your storage option:

  • For general-purpose workloads, use Cinder block storage (Wood or Silver)
  • For high-performance, low-latency storage needs, consider flavors with local NVMe storage
  • If you need persistent storage with your local NVMe instance, you can attach additional Cinder volumes

For assistance in choosing the best storage solution for your workload, please contact our platform support team.