Using Storage Under Exosphere

Volumes

For a more robust overview of volumes on Jetstream2, please see this article on storage

Creating a Volume

Volumes can be created in the Exosphere interface under the “Create” dropdown (top-right):

A screenshot showing the Exosphere "create" dropdown, with "Volume" highlighted

Attaching your Volume to an Instance

Volumes can be attached from either the Volumes section of the Instance Details page, the Volumes List page, or the individual Volume Details page.

Page Location
Instance Details A screenshot of the Instance Details page with the 'Attach Volume' button circled
Volumes List A screenshot of the Volumes List, highlighting the 'Attach' button
Volume Details A screenshot of a volume's details, highlighting the 'Attach' button

Accessing an Attached Volume

After successfully attaching a volume to an instance, Exosphere will display the device location (/dev/sdb, /dev/sdc, etc.) and the mount point (/media/volume/...) to which the volume is attached. This information can also be found on your Instance Details page or Volume Details page.

The mount point is the directory that represents the root of a volume’s filesystem and is where you can access files stored in it.

Please note that attached volumes are mounted the first time they are accessed inside the instance (e.g. with a cd command), and are NOT necessarily mounted at attachment time. If you encounter a seeming lag or problem with filesystem access, the volume may not be properly mounted; you may wish to try making sure you can cd to the directory.

Detaching a Volume

A volume can be detached from an instance on either the Volumes List page or the Volume Details page:

Volume List Volume Details
A screenshot of the Exosphere Volume list page with the "Detach" button circled A screenshot of the Exosphere Volume details page with the "Detach" button circled

Deleting a Volume

Volume deletion is permanent

Deleting a volume will permanently destroy any data stored on it.

Note: A volume cannot be deleted if it is still attached to an instance; it will need to be detached first.

A volume can be deleted on either the Volumes List page or the Volume Details page by clicking the trash can icon:

Volume List Volume Details
A screenshot of the Exosphere Volume list page with the trash can icon circled A screenshot of the Exosphere Volume details page with the trash can icon circled

File Shares

OpenStack Manila file shares are significantly more complicated to set up than simple volumes; however, unlike simple volumes, file shares can be mounted to and accessed by multiple instances at the same time. Currently, Exosphere does not support the creation or management of Manila shares within its user interface.

Please reference Manila - Filesystems-as-a-service - on Jetstream2 for more information and setup guides.