A Volume is a disk you attach to a server for extra space or for data you want to keep separate from the server. Creating one has two parts: create the volume, then attach it.
Create the volume
- Open Storage, then Block Storage, and click Create Volume.
- Fill in the form:
- Name: something recognisable, such as
db-data. - Volume Source: choose Blank for an empty disk. You can also create one from an Image, a Snapshot, or another volume.
- Capacity (GiB): the size in gibibytes. You can grow a volume later, so there is no need to over-provision.
- Type / Availability Zone: leave the defaults unless you have a reason to change them. The zone should match the server you will attach it to.
- Name: something recognisable, such as
- Click OK to create it. It appears with status Available.
Attach it to a server
- Open Cloud Servers, click your server, and choose Attach Volume. (You can also attach from the volume's own actions.)
- Select the volume and confirm.
Use it inside the server
Attaching makes the disk visible, but the operating system still has to prepare it once. Log in over SSH (how to connect), run lsblk to find the new disk (often /dev/vdb), create a filesystem, mount it, and add it to /etc/fstab so it mounts after a reboot.
A volume keeps costing money for as long as it exists, even when detached. If a volume will not attach, the usual cause is that it and the server are in different zones. See A volume will not attach or mount.