cis-aws-storage-4-7

name	cis-aws-storage-4.7
description	Ensure mounting FSx cache
category	cis-storage-services
version	1.0.0
author	cyberstrike-official
tags	["cis","aws","storage","fsx","lustre","mount","file-system","level-2"]
cis_id	4.7
cis_benchmark	CIS AWS Storage Services Benchmark v1.0.0
tech_stack	["aws","linux"]
cwe_ids	[]
chains_with	["cis-aws-storage-4.5","cis-aws-storage-4.6","cis-aws-storage-4.8"]
prerequisites	["cis-aws-storage-4.4","cis-aws-storage-4.5","cis-aws-storage-4.6"]
severity_boost	{}

4.7 Ensure mounting FSx cache (Manual)

Profile Applicability

• Level 2

Description

Mounting the FSx cache is a crucial step to optimize data retrieval and system performance. This process involves connecting the FSx file system to your compute instances, allowing them to access cached data efficiently. Properly mounting the FSx cache ensures low-latency access to frequently used data, enhances overall application performance, and leverages the full capabilities of the AWS FSx service. This setup is essential for achieving high performance and efficient data processing in your AWS environment.

Rationale

By connecting the FSx file system to your compute instances, you enable low-latency access to frequently used data, significantly improving application performance. This setup leverages the full capabilities of the AWS FSx service, ensuring efficient data processing and resource utilization in your AWS environment. Properly mounting the FSx cache is essential for achieving high performance and operational efficiency.

Impact

Without properly mounting the FSx cache, compute instances cannot access the cached data, resulting in inability to benefit from the high-performance caching layer and potential degradation in application performance and data access times.

Audit Procedure

SSH to EC2 Instance

1. Connect to your EC2 instance:

ssh -i "{KEY.pem}" ubuntu@{your-ec2-instance}

2. Verify mount point exists:

ls -ld /mnt

3. Check if FSx cache is already mounted:

df -h | grep /mnt
mount | grep lustre

4. Verify the mount configuration:

# Check if the path shows up in the file system
ls -la /mnt

# Verify DNS name is resolvable
nslookup <cache_dns_name>

# Check VPC connectivity
# Ensure EC2 instance is in the same VPC as the cache

Expected Result

The FSx cache should be properly mounted with:

• Mount point directory created (/mnt or custom path)
• FSx cache mounted to the mount point using Lustre protocol