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Block Storage CLI

Cinder · OpenStack CLI · python-openstackclient

Create and attach volumes, manage snapshots, and inspect volume types from the command line.

Volumes

openstack volume listList volumes
openstack volume show <name|id>Show volume details
openstack volume create --size <GB> <name>Create a volume
openstack volume delete <name|id>Delete a volume
openstack server add volume <server> <volume>Attach volume to instance
openstack server remove volume <server> <volume>Detach volume from instance

Snapshots

openstack volume snapshot listList volume snapshots
openstack volume snapshot create --volume <vol> <name>Create a snapshot
openstack volume snapshot delete <name|id>Delete a snapshot

Volume Types

openstack volume type listList available volume types
openstack volume type show <name|id>Show volume type details

Common flags: volume create

--size <GB>Volume size in gigabytes
--type <name>Volume type (e.g., SSD, HDD if available)
--image <name|id>Create from image (bootable volume)
--snapshot <name|id>Create from snapshot
--availability-zone <az>Target availability zone
--bootableMark as bootable
--description <text>Human-readable description

Examples

Create a volume and attach to an instance

# Create a 50GB volume
openstack volume create --size 50 my-data-vol
# +--------------------------------------+-------------+----------+------+
# | id                                   | name        | status   | size |
# +--------------------------------------+-------------+----------+------+
# | vol-9a8b7c6d-5e4f-3a2b-1c0d-9e8f7a6b | my-data-vol | creating |   50 |
# +--------------------------------------+-------------+----------+------+

# Wait for it to become available
openstack volume show my-data-vol -c status
# +--------+-----------+
# | Field  | Value     |
# +--------+-----------+
# | status | available |
# +--------+-----------+

# Attach to instance
openstack server add volume my-server my-data-vol

# Verify (inside the instance)
# lsblk shows /dev/vdb
# Format and mount:
# sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/vdb
# sudo mkdir /mnt/data
# sudo mount /dev/vdb /mnt/data

Snapshot and clone a volume

# Create a snapshot
openstack volume snapshot create --volume my-data-vol my-snap
# +--------------------------------------+---------+----------+
# | id                                   | name    | status   |
# +--------------------------------------+---------+----------+
# | snap-1a2b3c4d-5e6f-7890-abcd-ef123456 | my-snap | creating |
# +--------------------------------------+---------+----------+

# Create a new volume from snapshot
openstack volume create --snapshot my-snap --size 50 my-data-vol-clone

# List snapshots
openstack volume snapshot list

Quake AI tips

Volume types

Quake AI offers SSD-backed volumes by default. Run 'openstack volume type list' to see available types.

Detach before delete

You must detach a volume from its instance before deleting it. Use 'openstack server remove volume' first.

Quota

Volume count and total capacity both count against your project quota. Check your current limits and usage with 'openstack quota show --usage'. See the Quake AI pricing page for what each plan includes, and contact support to request an increase.

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