Cloud Storage Gateway:What is CSG?

Overview

CSG supports two types of gateways:

• File gateways

  File gateways map the object storage structure of OSS buckets to File Storage NAS file systems. You can read and write all objects in the specified OSS bucket over standard NFS and SMB protocols. CSG also uses on-premises storage to cache hot data, and provides high-performance data access in addition to the unlimited storage capacity of OSS buckets. File gateways are compatible with the Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX) and third-party backup software. In scenarios where you need to back up, share, read, or write small files, we recommend that you use Standard or Basic file gateways. If you require high performance or want to use multiple clients to simultaneously access data, we recommend that you use Enhanced or Performance Optimized file gateways.

• iSCSI gateways

  iSCSI gateways require creation of storage volumes in OSS and allow you to access data by using the iSCSI protocol. On-premises applications on clients can access these volumes as iSCSI targets. iSCSI gateways run in two modes: pass-through and cache.

  • In pass-through mode, data in iSCSI volumes is sliced and synchronized to the cloud. This mode is applicable when you use high-speed connections such as Express Connect circuits.

  • In cache mode, you can use on-premises cache disks to accelerate read and write operations, and asynchronously transfer data to the cloud. This mode is useful when you require efficient access to on-premises cached data but have unsatisfactory performance for uploading data to OSS.

For more information about available specifications, see Specifications.

CSG can be used in various scenarios. For more information, see Scenarios.

Service architecture

CSG gateways deployed on the could and at your data center can form a gateway cluster. Then, you can share data between the cloud and your data center. This allows you to migrate data in various business scenarios, such as file backup, data distribution, and disaster recovery. You can also use the cluster to distribute data to multiple data centers.

CSG is a lightweight storage gateway, which can be deployed at your data center and on Alibaba Cloud.

Access methods

You can create, use, or delete a gateway by using the following methods:

• A web-based console

  You can manage your gateways by using the web-based CSG console.

  • Manage a file gateway in the CSG console

  • Manage an iSCSI gateway in the CSG console

  • Manage a cross-zone HA file gateway in the CSG console

  • Manage a file gateway in the on-premises console

• API

  You can manage gateways and implement custom development by using the CSG API. For more information, see API Reference.

Scenarios

• File gateways

  • Build a cloud storage service when local storage is limited.

  • Store data as objects in the cloud, and allow applications to access the data in the same way they access data in file systems.

  • Access shares in a file storage service across multiple data centers.

• iSCSI gateways

  • Back up data to the cloud by using backup software and implement efficient data transfers over iSCSI.

  • Import video streams to storage volumes over iSCSI to store data in the cloud.

Related services and topics

• Elastic Compute Service (ECS): a cloud computing service that provides elastic and efficient computing. For more information, visit the ECS product details page.

• Object Storage Service (OSS): a secure, cost-effective, and highly-reliable cloud storage service provided by Alibaba Cloud. OSS allows you to store large amounts of data in the cloud. For more information, visit the OSS product details page.

• CloudMonitor: a monitoring service that allows you to monitor gateway resources. For more information, visit the CloudMonitor product details page.

• CSG allows you to mount an OSS bucket and manage data in the bucket in the same way you manage local directories and disks. For more information, see Use CSG to attach OSS buckets to ECS instances.