The AWS Snow Family provides physical data transport devices designed to move large amounts of data into and out of AWS securely and efficiently. These devices help in data migration, edge computing, and hybrid cloud storage.

In this guide, we'll walk through the process of ordering an AWS Snowball device, focusing on the key steps and options available.

1. Job Type Selection

When creating a Snowball job, the first step is selecting the job type based on your use case:

• Import into Amazon S3: AWS ships a Snowball device to you. You load your data and send it back, where AWS imports it into an S3 bucket.
• Export from Amazon S3: AWS loads your S3 data onto a Snowball device and ships it to you.
• Edge Computing: The Snowball device is used for local compute and storage without transferring data to AWS.

In this walkthrough, we choose import into Amazon S3.

2. Selecting a Snowball Device

AWS offers different Snowball Edge devices depending on storage and compute requirements:

• Storage-Optimized Snowball Edge: Provides 210 TB of storage, best for bulk data transfer.
• Compute-Optimized Snowball Edge: Includes EC2 instances for edge computing and AI/ML workloads.

Over time, AWS may introduce or discontinue specific models, but the selection process remains similar.

3. Pricing & Transfer Options

• On-Demand Pricing: Pay per day of usage.
• Data Transfer Costs: S3 transfer fees apply.
• Destination S3 Bucket: Specify the S3 bucket where data will be stored after AWS processes the Snowball.