---
title: "Get started with TIR Block Storage"
description: "Create a TIR Block Storage disk, mount it on an instance, and put a file on it, so the instance can read and write its own disk."
content_type: "get-started"
product: "tir-block-storage"
platform: "TIR"
url: "/tir/tir-block-storage/get-started/"
---

# Get started with TIR Block Storage

Create a Block Storage disk, mount it on a TIR Instance, and write a file to it.

## Before you begin

You need a TIR project in Delhi or Chennai, a role that can create datasets and update
instances, and an instance to mount the disk on. If you need one, [create an
instance](/tir/tir-instance/how-to/create-an-instance/) first.

## Create the disk

1. In TIR, open your project. In the side menu, under **Storage**, select **Block Storage (Disk
   Dataset)**.
2. Select **Create Dataset**. Before the project has its first disk, select **Create Storage** on
   the first screen instead.
3. Keep the generated **Dataset Name** or type your own: up to 50 characters, using lowercase letters,
   numbers, and hyphens, starting and ending with a letter or number. The name becomes the folder the disk
   appears in on the instance, so choose one you want to read in a path.
4. Set **Disk Size**. It starts at 100 GB. A disk can only grow later, and you pay for every GB you set,
   so start close to what you need.
5. Select **Create**.

TIR confirms "Dataset `<name>` created successfully" and opens **Next Steps: Using Disk
Storage**. Close the panel to see the disk in the list. Its **Status** reads **Pending** and then **Ready**. Wait for **Ready** before you mount it.

## Mount it on an instance

A running instance restarts to apply the mount, so save your work first.

1. Open your instance's page and select the **Associated Datasets** tab.
2. Tick your disk and select **Update**.
3. Tick **Are you sure you want to continue updating datasets?** and select **Update** again.

When the instance is **Running** again, the disk shows **Mounted** on the **Associated Datasets** tab.

## Write a file to it

Open a terminal on the instance, in JupyterLab or over SSH, and write a file to the disk's folder:

```bash
echo "hello" > /datasets/<name>/hello.txt
ls /datasets/<name>
```

Replace `<name>` with your disk's **Dataset Name**. The folder is read-write, and the file stays on the disk
when you unmount it or delete the instance.

## What to do next

- [Put data on a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/put-data-on-a-disk/) covers copying your own
  files, and data from an Object Storage dataset.
- [Increase the size of a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/increase-the-size-of-a-disk/) when
  the disk fills up.
- [Create a disk](/tir/tir-block-storage/how-to/create-a-disk/) explains encryption and every field
  of the form.

For help with a message, see [Troubleshooting TIR Block Storage](/tir/tir-block-storage/troubleshooting/tir-block-storage/).