Amazon EBS (Elastic Block Store) snapshots are essential for data backup and disaster recovery, but storing them in the standard tier can be costly. This CloudFix Finder/Fixer helps you identify and archive old EBS snapshots to a more cost-effective storage tier while maintaining their availability for future use.

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What Does This Finder/Fixer Do?

This tool analyzes your EBS snapshots to identify candidates for archival based on age and data usage patterns. It specifically looks for:

  • Snapshots older than 30 days that are the most recent snapshot of an EBS volume
  • Snapshots with more than 25% “unreferenced” data (data not referenced by other snapshots)
  • Opportunities to move snapshots to the archive tier for significant cost savings

AWS Services Affected

Amazon EBS
Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS)

Benefits

  • Reduce storage costs by up to 75% for archived snapshots
  • Automatically identify optimal snapshots for archival
  • Maintain data accessibility while optimizing costs
  • No impact on production workloads during archival

How It Works

  1. CloudFix analyzes your EBS snapshots to identify archival candidates
  2. It evaluates snapshots based on age and unreferenced data percentage
  3. Snapshots meeting the criteria are flagged for archival
  4. You can review and approve the recommended changes
  5. CloudFix moves approved snapshots to the archive tier

Common Questions

Q: How does CloudFix determine which snapshots to archive?

CloudFix uses two main criteria: snapshots older than 30 days that are the most recent snapshot of a volume, and snapshots with more than 25% unreferenced data. It also excludes snapshots managed by AWS Backup, shared with other accounts, or those with Fast Snapshot Restore enabled.

Q: How much can I save with snapshot archiving?

Savings vary based on the amount of unreferenced data in each snapshot. For example, a snapshot with 50% unreferenced data would result in a 25% cost saving, while one with 75% unreferenced data could save 50%. The maximum potential savings is 75%.

Q: Can I restore archived snapshots if needed?

Yes, archived snapshots can be restored at any time, though the process may take up to 72 hours depending on the snapshot size. Note that there is a minimum 90-day archive period – if you restore before this period ends, you’ll still be billed for the remaining days in the archive tier.