Get started with Volumes

Give a node an extra disk: create a volume, attach it, and mount it. You need a MyAccount account with credit, and a node in the Powered off or Running state to attach the volume to. The mount step uses Linux; on Windows, see the Windows steps instead.

Create a volume

Open Storage > Volumes and click Create Volume. Enter a volume name, choose the size on the slider (100 GB to 16 TB), and pick Hourly or Committed. The IOPS are set for you, scaled to the size you choose. If you want the volume encrypted, check Enable Encryption, since encryption can be set only at creation.

Click Launch Volume. The volume appears in your list with the status Available when it is ready to attach.

Attach the volume to a node

Select the volume, open its Actions menu, and choose Attach. Pick the node from the list and click Attach. The node must be Powered off or Running. Once attached, the volume’s status changes to Attached and the node’s name shows under Attached To.

Mount the volume on the node

To use the volume, mount it inside the node’s operating system. On the node, list the block devices to find the new volume, then format and mount it:

lsblk

The new volume shows as an unmounted device, for example /dev/vdb. If it is empty (shown as data by file -s), format it and mount it:

sudo mkfs -t xfs /dev/vdb
sudo mkdir /data
sudo mount /dev/vdb /data

To keep the mount across a reboot, add it to /etc/fstab by the device’s UUID. See Mount a volume on Linux for the full steps, including how to find the UUID and what to do if the volume already has a file system from a snapshot.

What to do next with your volume

• Create a volume snapshot: back the volume up before a change you are not sure about.
• Upgrade a volume: make it bigger as your storage needs grow.
• Monitor a volume: watch its performance and usage once it is attached.