A larger volume of data that is stored in a disk requires a longer period of time to create a snapshot for the disk. The instant access feature allows you to access snapshots within seconds of snapshot creation, instead of after the snapshots are uploaded to Object Storage Service (OSS). For now, the instant access feature can be used only for enhanced SSDs (ESSDs) at the performance levels 0, 1, 2, and 3 (PL0, PL1, PL2, and PL3 ESSDs) and ESSD AutoPL disks.
Feature upgrade
From 11:00 on October 12, 2023, you are no longer charged for the instant access storage of snapshots or enabling the instant access feature.
Canary release is performed by region to upgrade the Elastic Compute Service (ECS) snapshot service. By default, new snapshots of PL0, PL1, PL2, and PL3 ESSDs and ESSD AutoPL disks are instantly available after creation with no additional configurations needed, regardless of whether the snapshots are manually or automatically created. The new version of the instant access feature differs from the old version of the feature. For information about the differences between the old and new versions of the instant access feature, see Comparison between the old and new versions.
For more information, see [Alibaba Cloud] [ECS Snapshot] [Price Reduction Notice for Instant Access Feature].
Comparison between the old and new versions
Determine the version of the instant access feature
Canary release is performed by region to upgrade the instant access feature to the new version. You can check the status of the instant access feature to determine the version of the feature.
New version: In the snapshot list, Enabled is displayed in the Instant Access column.
Old version: In the snapshot list, the expiration time of the instant access feature is displayed in the Instant Access column. Example: Oct 20, 2023, 11:07:07 Remaining Before Expiration.
Differences between the old and new versions
Canary release is performed by region to upgrade the instant access feature to the new version. If you have snapshots for which the old version of the instant access feature is enabled, you can continue to use the feature for the snapshots until the feature expires or disable the feature.
Item | Old version | New version |
Billing |
| The instant access feature is provided free of charge. |
Supported snapshot type | Manual snapshots | Manual and automatic snapshots |
How to enable the feature | You can enable the instant access feature and specify a validity period for the feature, or disable the feature. | The instant access feature is automatically enabled and cannot be disabled. |
Initialization of disks for which instant access snapshots are created | Not supported. | Supported. |
Maximum number of instant access snapshots that can be retained per disk | 10 | The same as the maximum number of snapshots that can be retained per disk. For more information, see the Snapshot limits section of the "Limits" topic. |
Limits
Only ESSDs and ESSD AutoPL disks support the instant access feature.
The following table describes whether specific operations can be performed on the instant access snapshots of ESSDs and ESSD AutoPL disks based on the creation progress of the snapshots. A check mark (✓) indicates that the operation is supported. A cross mark (×) indicates that the operation is not supported.
Snapshot creation progress
Roll back a disk by using a snapshot
Create a disk from a snapshot
Copy a snapshot
Create an image from a snapshot
Available
Progress of Upload to OSS: less than 100%
✓
Can be used to create only ESSDs.
×
×
Available
Progress of Upload to OSS: 100%
✓
✓
✓
✓
Enable or disable instant access
Enable the instant access feature
You can enable the instant access feature only when you manually create a snapshot for a disk. For more information, see Create a snapshot for a disk.
New version of the instant access feature: is automatically enabled.
Old version of the instant access feature: can be manually enabled and disabled.
Disable the instant access feature
The old version of the instant access feature can be disabled. The new version of the instant access feature cannot be disabled.
When you enable the instant access feature, you must specify a validity period for the feature. The feature is automatically disabled when the specified validity period ends.
After a snapshot is created, you can also manually disable the instant access feature by performing the following operations:
In the left-side navigation pane, choose .
In the upper-left corner of the top navigation bar, select a region.
Find the snapshot for which you want to disable the instant access feature. In the Actions column, choose
> Disable Instant Access. In the Disable Instant Access message, click OK.