Can I use EBS Multi-Attach volumes to enable multiple EC2 instances to simultaneously access a standard file system?

Resolution

Standard file systems aren't supported with EBS Multi-Attach. File systems such as XFS, EXT3, EXT4, and NTFS aren't designed to be simultaneously accessed by multiple servers or EC2 instances. Therefore, these file systems don't have built-in mechanisms to manage the coordination and control of writes, reads, locks, caches, mounts, fencing, and so on.

Enabling multiple servers to simultaneously access a standard file system can result in data corruption or loss. The operation of standard file systems on EBS Multi-Attach volumes isn't a supported configuration.

EBS Multi-Attach allows the attachment of a single io1 Provisioned IOPS volume to up to 16 Nitro-based instances in the same Availability Zone. EBS Multi-Attach volumes can be used as a block-level subcomponent of an overall shared storage solution. Configuration and operation of shared storage systems should be attempted only with a deep understanding of the potential pitfalls and configuration requirements. For more information on using EBS Multi-Attach, refer to Attaching a volume to multiple instances with Amazon EBS Multi-Attach - Considerations and limitations.

Related information

Working with Multi-Attach