Migrating Data to Block Storage

Migrating Data to Block Storage | Generated by AI

Home 2026.06

Question: How do I set up a DigitalOcean block storage volume and move my 130GB of model/data files onto it from my current GPU droplet?

Answer:

Step 1: Create the Volume

In the DigitalOcean UI when creating your droplet, select “Create new” under Add a Volume:

Size: 150GB (give yourself headroom)
It will be attached at creation time

Or via doctl if droplet already exists:

doctl compute volume create my-ml-data \
  --region sfo3 \
  --size 150 \
  --fs-type ext4

Step 2: Format and Mount (First Time Only)

SSH into your droplet:

# Check what the volume is named (usually /dev/sda or /dev/disk/by-id/...)
lsblk

# Format it (ONLY do this once, first time ever)
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda

# Create mount point
mkdir -p /mnt/data

# Mount it
mount /dev/sda /mnt/data

# Verify
df -h /mnt/data

Step 3: Move Your 130GB Data onto It

# If data is on root disk currently
rsync -avh --progress /root/data/ /mnt/data/
# or
cp -r /your/model/weights /mnt/data/

# After confirming copy is good, remove from root disk
rm -rf /root/data/

If data is on your local machine or workstation (192.168.1.36), push directly to the volume:

# From your workstation
rsync -avh --progress --compress \
  /local/path/to/data/ \
  root@<droplet-ip>:/mnt/data/

Step 4: Make Mount Persistent (Within Same Droplet Session)

For auto-mount on reboot within same droplet:

# Get UUID
blkid /dev/sda

# Add to fstab
echo "UUID=<your-uuid>  /mnt/data  ext4  defaults,nofail  0  2" >> /etc/fstab

Step 5: End of Session — Detach, Don’t Snapshot

# Unmount before detaching
umount /mnt/data

# Detach via doctl
doctl compute volume-action detach <volume-id> <droplet-id>

# Now safely destroy droplet
doctl compute droplet delete <droplet-id> --force

Step 6: Next Session — Attach and Mount

# Create fresh droplet (from your thin OS snapshot)
doctl compute droplet create ...

# Attach volume
doctl compute volume-action attach <volume-id> <new-droplet-id>

# SSH in, mount
mount /dev/sda /mnt/data

# Your 130GB is right there, no hydration wait
ls /mnt/data

Your New Workflow Summary

Old:  create snapshot (20min) → restore (fast but hydrates lazily)
New:  volume persists → attach (instant) → mount (2 sec) → work

The 130GB never moves. It just stays on the volume, detached, costing ~$15/month at rest, ready to attach to any new GPU droplet in seconds.

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