---
title: Introduction
description: Complete guide for managing Scalable File System in E2E Cloud
---

# Introduction

Scalable File System is designed to provide simple, scalable, and highly available file storage for cloud-based applications and services. It allows multiple E2E Nodes to access the same file system concurrently, enabling shared file storage across instances.

The Scalable File System is commonly used for applications that require shared file storage, such as content management systems, web serving, big data analytics, and development environments. It simplifies the management and provisioning of file storage in the cloud, allowing applications to scale seamlessly and reliably.

## Create Scalable File System

To create a Scalable File System:

1. Navigate to the left sidebar under the dashboard section
2. Go to **Storage** → **Scalable File System**
3. Click on the **Get Started** button

### Configuration Steps

After clicking the **Get Started** button:


1. **Select a VPC**: Choose from two types of VPCs:
   - **Default VPC**: Provided by E2E with a pre-defined CIDR
   - **Custom VPC**: User-created, where you can also optionally select an associated subnet

2. **Select a Plan**: Choose the appropriate plan for your needs

3. **Launch**: Click on the **Launch SFS** button to create your Scalable File System

Once created, your Scalable File System will be displayed in the list with an "Available" status.

## Grant All Access

:::warning
If you grant all access, you will not be able to configure ACL. To configure ACL, you must disable all access.
:::

To grant full access to all resources:

1. Select the SFS you want to configure
2. Click on **Grant All Access** under **Actions**
3. Confirm by clicking the **Grant** button in the popup

    This enables all resources like Nodes, Load Balancers (LB), Kubernetes, and DBaaS within the same VPC to access this SFS. The permission process takes a few minutes to complete. You can view the configured Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) under the **ACL** tab.

## Disable All Access

:::warning
Disabling all access will deny access to all resources such as Nodes, Load Balancers, Kubernetes, and DBaaS within the same VPC from accessing this SFS.
:::

To disable all access:

1. Select the SFS
2. Click on **Disable All Access** under **Actions**
3. Confirm by clicking the **Disable** button in the popup

    The disable process takes a few minutes to complete. You can view the updated configuration under the **ACL** tab.

## Convert to Committed

To convert your SFS to a committed plan:

1. Click on **Convert to Committed** button
2. Select your desired committed plan
3. Click on **Convert** button to apply the changes

## Committed Settings

To update committed settings:

1. Click on **Committed Settings** button
2. Configure your desired settings
3. Click on **Update Settings** button to save changes

## Delete SFS

To delete a Scalable File System:

1. Select the SFS you want to delete
2. Click **Delete** under **Actions**
3. Confirm the deletion in the popup

## ACL (Access Control List)

Using ACL configuration, you can grant specific Nodes permission to access the SFS.

### Configure ACL

1. Navigate to the **ACL** tab
2. Click on **Configure ACL**
3. Select the nodes attached to the same VPC network
4. Choose the appropriate permissions for each node
5. Click the **Allow** button to attach the Node to SFS

    After clicking **Allow**, the node will enter a **Configuring** status, and after a few moments, it will return to **Available** status.

## How to Access Scalable File System (SFS)?

Connect to your machine and follow these commands to mount the SFS.

### 1) For YUM Package Manager (RHEL/CentOS)

**Step 1**: Install `nfs-utils` on your machine:

```bash
yum update
yum install nfs-utils
```

**Step 2**: Create a mount point:

```bash
mkdir MOUNT_POINT
```

**Step 3**: Mount SFS on your machine:

```bash 
mount -t nfs -o soft,timeo=n,retrans=n,retry=n SFS_SERVER_ENDPOINT:/data MOUNT_POINT
```

### 2) For APT Package Manager (Ubuntu/Debian)

**Step 1**: Install `nfs-common` on your machine:

```bash
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nfs-common
```

**Step 2**: Create a mount point:

```bash
mkdir MOUNT_POINT
```

**Step 3**: Mount SFS on your machine:

```bash 
mount -t nfs -o soft,timeo=n,retrans=n,retry=n SFS_SERVER_ENDPOINT:/data MOUNT_POINT
```

### 3) For Windows Machine

**Step 1**: Ensure you have NFS Client (Services for NFS) installed from Programs and Features.

**Step 2**: Mount SFS to a drive:

```bash
mount -t nfs -o soft,timeo=n,retrans=n,retry=n SFS_SERVER_ENDPOINT:/data drive:
```

### Mount Options Explained

- **soft**: When NFS tries to access a soft-mounted directory, it gives up and returns an error message after trying `retrans` times
- **timeo**: The timeout, in tenths of a second, for requests (read and write requests to mounted directories). If a request times out, this timeout value is doubled, and the request is retransmitted. Maximum value is 30 seconds, and the default value is 7 seconds
- **retrans**: The number of times a request (a read or write request to a mounted directory) is retransmitted after it times out. If the request does not succeed after `n` retransmissions, a soft mount returns an error. Default value is 4
- **retry**: The number of times the client attempts to mount a directory after the first attempt fails. Default value is 1

## Disallow Node

To remove a node's access:

1. Go to the **ACL** tab
2. Click on the **Disallow** button next to the node you want to remove
3. This will remove the established connection

## Snapshot

The Snapshot feature allows you to capture data states at specific points in time, enabling data recovery, replication, and scheduled snapshot creation.

### Creating a Snapshot Manually

To create a snapshot manually:

1. Navigate to the **Snapshot** tab
2. Click on the **Snapshot Now** button
3. Confirm by clicking **Create Snapshot** in the popup

    The snapshot will be created and displayed in the snapshot list.

### Actions on Snapshots

To perform actions on a snapshot, click on the three-dot **Actions** menu icon for the respective snapshot. Available actions include:

- **Clone**: Create a copy of the SFS
- **Upgrade**: Upgrade the SFS to a different plan
- **Delete**: Remove the snapshot

## Clone a SFS

To clone a Scalable File System:

1. Click on the **Clone** option within the **Actions** menu
2. On the Clone SFS page, select the desired Virtual Private Cloud (VPC)
3. Click on **Clone SFS** to proceed

    The cloned SFS will be added to your SFS list.

## Upgrade SFS

To upgrade an SFS from a snapshot:

1. Click on the **Upgrade** action for the desired snapshot
2. On the upgrade page, select the plan you want to upgrade to
3. Click the **Upgrade** button to apply changes

### Delete a Snapshot

To delete a snapshot:

1. Click on the **Delete** action for the specific snapshot
2. Confirm by clicking **Confirm Delete** in the popup

### Schedule Snapshot

To schedule automatic snapshots:

1. Click on the **Schedule Snapshot** link
2. Configure the following:
   - **Snapshot interval**: How frequently snapshots should be taken
   - **Snapshot time**: When snapshots should be created
   - **Deletion time**: When old snapshots should be deleted
3. Click **Save Changes**


:::tip Notes
The user can set the Snapshot Interval in the following way-

- Schedule Snapshot with the **Create Snapshot Interval** set to  **Daily**.
- Schedule the snapshot with the **Create Snapshot Interval** set to **Weekly**, and ensure it is scheduled on the selected **Day** of the week.
- Schedule the snapshot with the **Create Snapshot Interval** set to **Monthly**, and ensure it is scheduled on the selected **Date** of the month.
- The user can schedule the snapshot for the last day of the month by selecting the interval **Monthly** and choosing **Last Day** as the date
:::

### Edit Schedule Snapshot Settings

To modify your scheduled snapshot settings:

1. Click **Edit schedule snapshot settings**
2. Make your desired changes
3. Save the updated configuration

### Disable Scheduled Snapshots

To disable scheduled snapshots:

1. Click on **Edit Schedule Snapshot settings**
2. Click the **Disable** button
3. Confirm the action in the popup

### Configure Snapshot Lifecycle

To manage snapshot retention:

1. Click on **Configure Snapshot Lifecycle**
2. Select the interval after which scheduled snapshots should be automatically deleted
3. Save your changes

### Edit Lifecycle Settings

To modify lifecycle settings:

1. Click **Edit schedule snapshot settings**
2. Adjust the lifecycle configuration as needed
3. Save your changes

### Disable Snapshot Lifecycle

To disable automatic snapshot deletion:

1. Click on **Edit Schedule Snapshot settings**
2. Click the **Disable** button for lifecycle
3. Confirm the action in the popup

    :::info
    By following these steps, you can effectively manage snapshots, perform various actions, and ensure the data integrity and availability of your files within the SFS service.
    :::


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