Using multiple Amazon DataSync agents for transfers - Amazon DataSync
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Using multiple Amazon DataSync agents for transfers

You can use more than one Amazon DataSync agent with your data transfers. While most transfers only need one agent, using multiple agents can speed up transfers of large datasets with millions of files.

In these situations, we recommend running transfer tasks in parallel. This approach spreads out the transfer workload across multiple tasks (each of which uses its own agent). It also helps reduce the time it takes DataSync to prepare and transfer your data.

Another option—especially if you have millions of small files—is using multiple agents with a transfer location. For example, you can connect up to four agents to your on-premises Network File System (NFS) file service. This option can speed up your transfer, though the time it takes DataSync to prepare the transfer doesn’t change.

With either approach, be mindful that these can increase the I/O operations on your storage system and affect your network bandwidth. For more information on using multiple agents for your DataSync transfers, see the Amazon Storage Blog.

If you're thinking of using multiple agents, remember the following:

  • Using multiple agents with a location doesn't provide high availability. All the agents associated with a location must be online before you can start your transfer task. If one of the agents is offline, you can't run your task.

  • If you're using a virtual private cloud (VPC) endpoint to communicate with Amazon, all the agents must use the same endpoint and subnet.

  • With DataSync Discovery, you can only use one agent per storage system.