How AWS Snowcone Works

AWS Snowcone Workflow

All jobs have the following workflow for receiving, using, and returning the device.

The workflow

  1. Get a Snowcone power supply and, if needed, an Ethernet cable (RJ45). – To maintain the smallest footprint, Snowcone devices do not ship with a power supply. Snowcone uses a 45 watt USB-C connected power supply. It can also be powered by a portable battery. For more information, see AWS Snowcone Power Supply and Accessories, later in this document. You will also need an ethernet cable to connect the device to your network, unless a Snowcone with wi-fi connectivity was specifically ordered.

  2. Receive the device – Your region's shipping carrier (UPS) delivers the AWS Snowcone device. The device does not arrive in a box because the device is its own shipping container.

  3. Get your manifest file and unlock code and download the AWS OpsHub – Get ready to start transferring data by getting your job manifest, and the manifest's unlock code, and then downloading the AWS OpsHub.
    • You will be provided with the manifest file for your device after the device has been delivered. The manifest is used to authenticate your access to the device. The manifest is encrypted so only the unlock code can decrypt it.

    • The unlock code is a 29-character code used to decrypt the manifest. You will be provided with the unlock code after the device has been delivered. To prevent unauthorized access to the device while it’s at your facility, we recommend that you keep the unlock code in a safe location that is different from the location of the manifest.
  1. Position the hardware – Move the device into your data center. Connect the device to a power supply and your local network.
  2. Power on the device – Power on the device by pressing the power button above the LCD display. Wait a few minutes, and the Ready screen appears.
  3. Get the IP address for the device – The LCD display has a CONNECTION tab on it. Tap this tab and get the IP address for the AWS Snowcone device.
  4. Use AWS OpsHub to unlock the device.
  5. Use the device – Use the AWS OpsHub to setup and administer the device and to transfer the data.
  6. Don't unplug the power supply cable or Ethernet cable, if present – Don't unplug the Ethernet cable or the USB-C power supply or battery during data transfer. To turn-off the Snowcone device after your data transfer is complete, simply press the power button.
  7. Prepare the device for its return trip – Detach the device from power and from your network. When the return shipping label appears on the E Ink display on top of the device, the device is ready to be returned.
  8. Your region's carrier (UPS) returns the device to AWS.

 

 

 

AWS Snowcone Device Specifications

Top View

The Snowcone top surface includes an integrated E-Ink touch display that is used as an operator interface to set up both wired and wireless networking. It also serves as a display for an electronic shipping label. The electronic shipping is preprogrammed with both outbound and inbound shipping labels that automatically change after the device is first powered on.

Rear Panel

You make all cable connections on the rear panel. This section describes each connector.

Power

Power is supplied to the device through the right-most USB-C connection using a suitable power adapter that is capable of supplying at least 45 W.

Note

AWS Snowcone does not include a power supply because it ships with the smallest possible form factor. For details, see AWS Snowcone Power Supply and Accessories.

USB

The first USB-C connection is not active.

Ethernet connectors 1 and 2

For wired networking, Snowcone provides two ports that auto-negotiate for 1 Gb or 10 Gb Ethernet networks.

RJ45 10/1G Base-T Ethernet ports — These ports auto-negotiate between 10G and 1G based on the far end connection capability. They don't negotiate speeds lower than 1G (for example, 100M or 10M). The link LED is located to the right of each connector, and the activity LED is on the left.

Front Panel

The front panel contains the power button and status LED displays.

Power switch

To turn on the device, momentarily press the power button. The button illuminates, and the E-Ink display changes to a progress bar, and Please wait is displayed.

To turn off the device, hold the power switch for 2 seconds, or until the E-Ink displays Please wait.

Note
Holding the power button for more than five seconds forces power off. This is not recommended because it might cause data in buffers to be lost. After AC power loss the device automatically restores power to the last operating state.

Status LEDs

There are two status LEDs located next to the power button. The left LED flashes with disk activity and the right LED illuminates if there is a fault condition.

 

AWS Snowcone Power Supply and Accessories

AWS Snowcone does not include a power supply or an Ethernet cable (RJ45) because it ships with the smallest possible form factor. You have the option to run Snowcone via a plug-in power source or a battery. Here are the details to guide you when ordering a power supply:

USB-C power adapter — Use a USB-C power adapter with the Snowcone device for plugged-in power or for stationary (non-mobile) operating environments. To power your Snowcone device, you can purchase one of the following AWS-tested USB-C power adapters:

Or, you can use any USB-C power adapter that is rated for 45W+ and your environment temperature.

USB-C battery — Use a USB-C battery to power the Snowcone device in mobile or portable operating environments. To power your Snowcone device, you can purchase one of the AWS-tested USB-C batteries listed following. Or, you can use any USB-C battery that is rated for 45W+. The following are examples.

Ethernet cable (RJ45) — To connect the Snowcone device to your local network, use an Ethernet cable (RJ45). If you don't have one, you should purchase one unless a Snowcone with wi-fi connectivity was specifically ordered.  In that case wi-fi can be used to connect to your network.

 

 

Working with the AWS OpsHub

The Snow Family Devices offer a user-friendly tool, AWS OpsHub for Snow Family, that you can use to manage your devices and local AWS services.

With AWS OpsHub installed on your client computer, you can perform tasks such as the following:

  • Unlocking and configuring the Snowcone device
  • Transferring files between the Snowcone and your network

From the following webpage, you can download the version of AWS OpsHub for your operating system, Windows, Mac, or Linux.

 https://aws.amazon.com/snowball/resources/#AWS_OpsHub

Run the install program on your client machine.

AWS OpsHub can now connect to a Snowcone device on the same network as the client machine, whether the device is connected via Wi-Fi or a physical cable.

To connect and unlock your device

  1. Open the AWS OpsHub application. If you are a first-time user, you are prompted to choose a language, and then choose Next.
  2. On the Select your device page, choose Snowcone, and then choose Next.
  3. On the Setup your device page, for IP address, enter the IP address of your device which appears on the E-Ink display of the device, and choose Next.
  4. Enter your device client unlock code and choose Upload to upload the device manifest. Then choose Unlock.
  5. Optionally, you can save your device's credentials as a profile. Name the profile and choose Save profile name. (This is beneficial if you are working with more than one Snowcone device and not needed if you are working with only one device.) You are directed to the AWS OpsHub dashboard, where you can see your all your devices and start managing them.

 

 

 

Using NSF to Transfer the Files

If your client computer is a Windows 10 Enterprise or Windows 7 Enterprise, you first need to start NFS service on Windows before you configure NFS in the AWS OpsHub application.

 

To mount NFS on a Windows client, follow these steps

  1. On your client computer, open Start, choose Control Panel and choose Programs.
  2. Choose Turn Windows features on or off.
  3. Under Services for NFS, choose Client for NFS and choose OK.

 

NFS on the Snowcone device can be configured either automatically or manually.

To start and enable NFS on your Snowcone device automatically, follow these steps

  1. In the Transfer data section on the dashboard, choose Enable & start. This could take a minute or 2 to complete.
  2. When the NFS service is started, the IP address of the NFS server (different from the IP address of the Snowcone device) is shown on the dashboard and the Transfer data section indicates that the service is active.
  3. Choose Open in Explorer (in Windows and Linux) to open the file share in your client's file browser and start transferring files between the Snowcone device and your network. You can copy and paste, or drag and drop files.
     In Windows, the Snowcone file share looks like the following buckets(\\12.123.45.679)(Z:).

 

To configure NFS manually on the Snowcone device, follow these steps:

  1. At the bottom of Transfer data section, on the dashboard, choose Configure manually.
  2. Choose Enable & start to open the Start NFS The Physical network interface field is populated.
  3. Choose Create IP address (VNI) or choose Use existing IP address.
  4. If you choose Create IP address (VNI), then choose DHCP or Static IP in the IP Address assignment list box.
  • Important
    If you use a DHCP network, it is possible that the NFS client's IP address could be reassigned by the DCHP server. This can happen after the device has been disconnected and the IP addresses are recycled. If you set an allowed host range and the address of the client changes, another client can pick up that address. In this case, the new client will have access to the share. To prevent this, use DHCP reservations or static IP addresses.

If you choose Use existing IP address, then choose a virtual interface from the Virtual network interface list box.

  • Restrict NFS to allowed hosts is selected by default. This restricts access to the NFS service to hosts you allow but you can choose Allow all hosts. We recommend restricting access.
  • In the Allowed hosts text box, provide the CIDR blocks of hosts you want to allow to connect to the NFS service. For example, 10.0.0.0/16.
  • Choose Add allowed host to add more hosts to allow.
  • Choose Start NFS. It could take about a minute or two to start. NFS uses 1 GB of ram and one of your CPUs. This limits the number of instances available.
  • Important
    Don't turn off your device while the service is starting.
  • From the Network File System (NFS) resource section, the State of the NFS service shows as Active. Use the copy icon to copy the IP address of the NFS service. You will need this IP address for connection to your NFS service when you are ready to transfer files.
  • In the Mount paths box, you can filter and look for your endpoints.
  • For Endpoint name, choose an endpoint from the list, and choose Mount NFS endpoint. In Linux, mounting and unmount NFS endpoints requires root permissions. This endpoint is configured with the S3 bucket specified when the device was ordered. The endpoint is shown under NFS endpoints. The endpoint is configured as an NFS file and shares. It appears as a drive letter and you can use your native operating system to drag and drop files onto and out of your device.

The following are the default mount options:

  • Windows: mount -o nolock rsize=128 wsize=128 mtype=hard endpoint:path *
  • Linux: mount -t nfs endpoint:path mount_point
  • macOS: mount -t nfs -o vers=3,rsize=131072,wsize=131072,nolocks,hard,retrans=2 endpoint:path mount_point
  • Choose the icon next to the drive letter to open the file share in your client's file browser. Then start transferring files from your client to your Snowcone device. You can copy and paste or drag and drop files from your client computer into the file share. In Windows, your file share looks like the following: buckets(\\12.123.45.679)(Z:)

 

 

To stop data transfer

  1. From the dashboard, choose Services and then choose File Storage.
  2. On the File Storage page, choose Disable data transfer. It usually takes up to 2 minutes for the NFS endpoints to disappear from the dashboard.

 

Returning the Snowcone Device

When you've finished transferring data between the Snowcone device and your network, prepare the Snowcone for its return trip to AWS. Before you continue, make sure that all data transfer to the device has stopped.

When all communication with the device has ended, simply turn it off by pressing the power button. It takes about 20 seconds for the device to shut down.

Disconnect the Snowcone power cable and ethernet cable, if applicable.

When the return shipping label appears on the E Ink display on top of the device, it's ready to be returned.

The prepaid shipping label contains the correct address to return the AWS Snowcone device.

UPS is the carrier to use for shipping the Snowcone back to AWS.

The device is its own shipping container and should not be shipped in a box.

Unless personally instructed otherwise by AWS, never affix a separate shipping label to the AWS Snowcone device. Always use the shipping label that is displayed on the device's E Ink display.

 

AWS Snowcone Pickups in the US

 

You arrange for UPS to pick up the AWS Snowcone device by scheduling a pickup with UPS directly or take the device to a UPS package drop-off facility to be shipped to AWS. To schedule a pickup with UPS, you need a UPS account.

The prepaid UPS shipping label on the E Ink display contains the correct address to return the AWS Snowcone device.

The AWS Snowcone device is delivered to an AWS sorting facility and forwarded to the AWS data center.

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