In Cloud Block Storage (CBS), you both attach and mount a Volume to a Server. These terms might sound similar, so it can get confusing as to their differences.

Attach: When you attach a CBS Volume to a Server, a logical connection is created from a CBS storage node to the hypervisor hosting your cloud server. This is done over a network link via the iSCSI protocol. The new Volume gets exposed as a virtual device to the Xen host. To your Cloud Server, the Volume appears as a new raw storage device. Attaching a CBS Volume can be accomplished via the API or through Control Panel.

 Mount: Mounting is generally done once a volume has been attached, partitioned, and formatted for use by a computer’s operating system. Mounting is the process in which a user instructs the operating system how to logically map the directory structure to a physical storage device. You can only mount a volume through the computer's operating system.

 For more information on how to mount your volume, see Knowledge Center article Prepare Your Volume.