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Frequently Asked Questions

This page provides answers to common questions about NexStorage. If you don't find the information you're looking for, please contact our support team.

General Questions​

What is NexStorage?​

NexStorage is a secure, highly available, and infinitely scalable object storage solution designed for modern data-intensive workloads. It provides S3-compatible APIs, enterprise-grade security features, and advanced analytics capabilities to help organizations store, manage, and analyze unstructured data at any scale.

How does NexStorage compare to AWS S3?​

NexStorage offers S3-compatible APIs with additional enterprise features:

  • Complete data sovereignty and control
  • No egress fees or API request charges
  • Advanced security features including object locking and immutability
  • Built-in analytics and monitoring capabilities
  • Flexible deployment options (cloud, on-premises, hybrid)
  • Enterprise-grade support with faster response times

What deployment models does NexStorage support?​

NexStorage supports multiple deployment models:

  • NexStorage Cloud: Fully managed service hosted by NEXVECTA
  • Self-Hosted Cloud: Deploy in your AWS, Azure, or GCP environment
  • On-Premises: Deploy in your data center on your own hardware
  • Hybrid: Combine cloud and on-premises deployments with unified management

How much data can NexStorage handle?​

NexStorage is designed to scale horizontally without practical limits. Deployments range from terabytes to exabytes of data, with no limits on object size or number of objects per bucket. The architecture allows for seamless expansion as your data grows.

Is NexStorage compliant with industry regulations?​

Yes, NexStorage helps organizations meet regulatory requirements including:

  • GDPR
  • HIPAA
  • SOC 2
  • PCI DSS
  • FINRA
  • SEC Rule 17a-4(f)

The product includes features specifically designed for compliance, such as object locking, immutability, comprehensive audit logs, and encryption.

Technical Questions​

What APIs does NexStorage support?​

NexStorage provides full S3-compatible APIs, allowing you to use existing S3 tools, SDKs, and applications without modification. This includes support for:

  • Core object operations (GET, PUT, DELETE, etc.)
  • Bucket operations
  • Multipart uploads
  • Versioning
  • Lifecycle policies
  • Event notifications
  • Select queries
  • Presigned URLs

How does NexStorage ensure data durability?​

NexStorage uses multiple redundancy mechanisms to ensure data durability:

  • Erasure coding with configurable data and parity blocks
  • Multiple copies of data distributed across nodes
  • Automatic self-healing when corruptions are detected
  • Bitrot protection through checksumming
  • Cross-region replication for disaster recovery

These features combine to provide up to 99.999999999% (11 nines) of data durability, depending on your configuration.

What security features does NexStorage include?​

NexStorage includes comprehensive security features:

  • End-to-end encryption (data at rest and in transit)
  • IAM-compatible access control
  • Bucket policies and ACLs
  • Object locking and immutability
  • WORM (Write Once Read Many) compliance mode
  • Detailed audit logging
  • Network isolation capabilities
  • Multi-factor authentication
  • Integration with enterprise identity providers

Can NexStorage replicate data between regions?​

Yes, NexStorage supports cross-region replication (CRR) to automatically copy objects between buckets in different geographic locations. This provides:

  • Disaster recovery capabilities
  • Lower-latency access for geographically distributed users
  • Compliance with data residency requirements
  • Backup redundancy

Replication can be configured for entire buckets or specific prefixes, with options for one-way or bi-directional replication.

How does NexStorage handle performance optimization?​

NexStorage includes multiple features to optimize performance:

  • SSD caching for frequently accessed data
  • Parallel request handling
  • Request prioritization
  • Automatic load balancing
  • Client-side acceleration
  • Optimized network pathways
  • Advanced caching algorithms
  • Performance isolation between workloads

These optimizations ensure consistent performance even at extreme scale.

Operational Questions​

How is NexStorage licensed?​

NexStorage offers flexible licensing options:

  1. Capacity-Based Licensing: Pay based on the amount of storage consumed
  2. Subscription: Annual or multi-year subscriptions with predictable pricing
  3. Consumption-Based: Pay as you go based on actual usage (NexStorage Cloud)

Contact NEXVECTA Sales for detailed pricing information.

What monitoring and analytics capabilities are included?​

NexStorage includes comprehensive monitoring and analytics:

  • Real-time performance metrics
  • Capacity utilization tracking
  • Cost allocation by bucket, prefix, or tag
  • Usage pattern analysis
  • Anomaly detection
  • Integration with Prometheus, Grafana, and other monitoring tools
  • Custom dashboard templates
  • Automated reporting

For more details, see our Monitoring and Analytics documentation.

How is NexStorage supported?​

NEXVECTA offers tiered support options for NexStorage:

  • Standard Support: Business hours support with 24-hour response time
  • Premium Support: 24/7 support with 4-hour response time
  • Enterprise Support: 24/7 support with 1-hour response time and dedicated technical account manager

All support tiers include access to documentation, knowledge base, software updates, and the customer portal.

Can I migrate from AWS S3 to NexStorage?​

Yes, NexStorage provides tools and services to facilitate migration from AWS S3:

  • Automated migration tools
  • Bucket policy conversion
  • Incremental synchronization
  • Performance optimization during migration
  • Verification of data integrity

See our Migration Guide for detailed instructions.

How does NexStorage handle updates and maintenance?​

NexStorage is designed for non-disruptive updates:

  • Rolling updates ensure continuous availability
  • Background maintenance operations don't impact performance
  • Automated health checks before and after updates
  • Rollback capabilities if issues are detected
  • Scheduled maintenance windows can be configured based on your preferences

For NexStorage Cloud, all maintenance is handled automatically by NEXVECTA.

Use Case Questions​

Is NexStorage suitable for data analytics workloads?​

Absolutely. NexStorage is optimized for data analytics with features like:

  • High throughput for parallel processing
  • S3 Select for server-side filtering
  • Direct integration with analytics tools (Spark, Presto, etc.)
  • Data cataloging capabilities
  • Cost-effective storage for large datasets
  • Fast data retrieval for processing

Many customers use NexStorage as the foundation for their data lake and analytics platforms.

Can NexStorage be used for backup and archiving?​

Yes, NexStorage excels at backup and archiving with:

  • Object locking for WORM compliance
  • Lifecycle policies for automatic archiving
  • Cost-effective long-term storage
  • Integration with major backup solutions
  • Versioning and point-in-time recovery
  • Immutability for tamper-proof backups

How does NexStorage handle media and content workflows?​

NexStorage provides specific features for media workloads:

  • Fast upload and download of large media files
  • Global access with local performance
  • Content distribution capabilities
  • Automatic transcoding and thumbnail generation
  • Direct integration with media processing workflows
  • Support for partial object retrieval

Is NexStorage suitable for machine learning data pipelines?​

NexStorage works seamlessly with machine learning workflows:

  • High throughput for training data access
  • Support for structured and unstructured data
  • Version control for datasets
  • Integration with ML frameworks
  • Efficient storage for model artifacts
  • Data cataloging and metadata management

Troubleshooting Questions​

What should I do if I'm experiencing slow performance?​

If you encounter performance issues:

  1. Check network connectivity between your application and NexStorage
  2. Review current system metrics in the NexStorage console
  3. Verify your application is using multipart uploads for large objects
  4. Check for throttling or rate limiting in your application
  5. Ensure you're using the closest regional endpoint
  6. Review access patterns for potential optimization

For persistent issues, contact NEXVECTA Support with detailed information about the problem.

How do I recover deleted objects?​

To recover deleted objects:

  1. If versioning is enabled:

    # List all versions of an object
    aws s3api list-object-versions \
      --bucket my-bucket \
      --prefix my-object.txt \
      --profile nexstorage \
      --endpoint-url https://s3.nexstorage.nexvecta.com

    # Restore a specific version
    aws s3api copy-object \
      --copy-source my-bucket/my-object.txt?versionId=VERSION_ID \
      --bucket my-bucket \
      --key my-object.txt \
      --profile nexstorage \
      --endpoint-url https://s3.nexstorage.nexvecta.com

  2. If versioning is not enabled and the object was recently deleted, check the recycle bin:

    # List deleted objects in the recycle bin
    nexstorage-client recycle list --bucket my-bucket

    # Restore an object from the recycle bin
    nexstorage-client recycle restore --bucket my-bucket --object my-object.txt

What if I lose my access keys?​

If you lose your access keys:

  1. Log in to the NexStorage console with your administrator credentials
  2. Navigate to Security > Access Keys
  3. Find the user with the lost keys
  4. Delete the compromised access keys
  5. Generate new access keys for the user
  6. Update applications with the new keys

For security reasons, there is no way to recover the secret key once it's lost.

How do I handle "Access Denied" errors?​

If you're receiving "Access Denied" errors:

  1. Verify your access key and secret key are correct
  2. Check bucket policies and ACLs for the resources you're accessing
  3. Ensure IAM permissions include the necessary actions
  4. Check for IP-based restrictions in your bucket policy
  5. Verify you're not trying to access a different account's resources

Common causes include expired temporary credentials, insufficient permissions, or incorrect resource paths.

What if my bucket is consuming more storage than expected?​

If your bucket size seems larger than expected:

  1. Check for object versions:

    aws s3api list-object-versions \
      --bucket my-bucket \
      --profile nexstorage \
      --endpoint-url https://s3.nexstorage.nexvecta.com

  2. Look for multipart upload fragments:

    aws s3api list-multipart-uploads \
      --bucket my-bucket \
      --profile nexstorage \
      --endpoint-url https://s3.nexstorage.nexvecta.com

  3. Review lifecycle policies that might not be working as expected

  4. Generate a storage analysis report:

    nexstorage-admin report generate \
      --type "storage" \
      --bucket my-bucket \
      --output-format json \
      --output-file storage-report.json

Billing and Account Questions​

How is NexStorage billed?​

Billing depends on your licensing model:

  1. NexStorage Cloud: Billed monthly based on:

    • Storage used (GB/month)
    • Data transfer out (GB)
    • Advanced features enabled

  2. Self-Hosted/On-Premises: Billed according to your license agreement, typically based on:

    • Licensed capacity
    • Support tier
    • Optional add-on features

Unlike public clouds, NexStorage does not charge for API operations or queries.

Can I set up billing alerts?​

Yes, NexStorage supports usage alerts:

# Set up a storage usage alert
nexstorage-admin alert create \
  --name "storage-budget-80-percent" \
  --condition "billing.storage.usage > 80%" \
  --severity "warning" \
  --message "Storage usage has exceeded 80% of your budget" \
  --targets "email:finance@example.com,email:admin@example.com"

For NexStorage Cloud, you can also set spending limits and alerts in the billing section of the console.

How do I upgrade my NexStorage license?​

To upgrade your license:

  1. Contact NEXVECTA Sales to discuss your new requirements
  2. Receive a new license key or contract
  3. For self-hosted deployments, update your license: 
    nexstorage-admin license update --key "YOUR-NEW-LICENSE-KEY"

License upgrades are applied without service disruption.

Can I get a detailed breakdown of my usage?​

Yes, NexStorage provides detailed usage reporting:

# Generate a detailed usage report
nexstorage-admin report generate \
  --type "billing" \
  --period "last-month" \
  --format "csv" \
  --output usage-report.csv

For NexStorage Cloud, detailed usage reports are available in the billing section of the console, with options to break down usage by bucket, prefix, or tag.

Additional Information​

For more information about NexStorage, explore these resources:

If you have additional questions, please contact our support team.