AWS Snowball and AWS Snowball Edge are physically large devices. They both weigh around 50 lbs (~23 kg) and are comparable in size to a suitcase. While functionally similar to the AWS Snowball Edge service, AWS Snowcone comes in a much smaller form factor. AWS Snowcone is best suited for migrations of smaller amounts of data, or situations where a small amount of compute is needed to act as an IoT gateway.
Table 4.3 compares the two primary variants of AWS Snowcone devices available to order.
| HDD Version | SSD Version | |
| HDD in TB | 8 | 0 |
| SSD in TB | 0 | 14 |
| NVME in TB | 0 | 0 |
| VCPUs | 2 | 2 |
| VRAM in GB | 4 | 4 |
| GPU type | None | None |
| 10 Gbit RJ45 | 2 | 2 |
| 25 Gbit SFP | 0 | 0 |
| 100 Gbit QSFP | 0 | 0 |
| Wi-Fi generation | Wi-Fi 5 | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Wi-Fi MIMO | 2×2 | 2×2 |
| Volume (in3) | 170 | 170 |
| Weight (lbs) | 4.5 lbs | 4.5 lbs |
| Power draw (avg) | 25 w | 25 w |
| Power draw (max) | 45 w | 45 w |
| Voltage range | 100-240 v | 100-240 v |
Table 4.3 – Comparison of AWS Snowcone variants
In general, AWS Snowcone works the same way as an AWS Snowball Edge device. For example, you still use the same utilities to manage them, such as AWS OpsHub or the AWS Snowball Edge client. However, there are some noteworthy exceptions.
Wi-Fi
Something you’ll notice in Table 4.3 is the availability of Wi-Fi2 on AWS Snowcone – something not found on its larger cousins. For maximum throughput, it is recommended to use a Wi-Fi access point (AP) that has two antennas and supports 802.11ac with 2×2 MU-MIMO in 5 GHz mode.
2 Wi-Fi is available only with AWS Snowcone devices ordered from North American regions
Power supply
The second difference to take into account is the lack of internal power supply on AWS Snowcone devices. You will need to provide a power adapter that connects via USB-C to the device and to a wall outlet relevant to your region. Alternatively, it is possible to use a USB-C battery for more mobile use cases. In either case, you must ensure the adapter chosen is rated for 45 watts or greater.
Data transfer targets
Both the AWS DataSync agent and NFS endpoints are available on AWS Snowcone, and they work the same way as they do on an AWS Snowball Edge device. However, while you do still load a local replica of an S3 bucket in the cloud, the local S3 endpoint is not available. This means you cannot use the AWS CLI or s5cmd clients on your data loader workstation.
Summary
In this chapter, we reviewed how the AWS Snow Family presents a comprehensive suite of solutions that empower organizations to effectively address disconnected scenarios and overcome the challenges of limited or intermittent network connectivity. We talked about how businesses can securely transfer, store, and process large amounts of data in remote or offline environments. We covered how the robustness and versatility of these devices enable organizations to extend their cloud infrastructure to the edge, perform data analysis and processing at the point of collection, and ensure data availability in challenging circumstances.
With AWS Snow, the digital transformation journey extends beyond the boundaries of traditional network connectivity, providing a pathway to success in even the most challenging and remote environments.
In the next chapter, we will explore incorporating AWS Outposts into your on-premises data center.