Starting your AWS DataSync task

Once you create your AWS DataSync transfer task, you can start moving data. Each run of a task is called a task execution.

When you start your task, DataSync performs a recursive directory listing to discover all the files, objects, and associated metadata in your transfer source and destination locations. DataSync identifies differences between the locations and determines what to copy, a process that usually takes between a few minutes and a few hours.

Important

If you're planning to transfer data to or from an Amazon S3 location, review how DataSync can affect your S3 request charges and the DataSync pricing page before you begin.

Starting your task

Once you've created your task, you can begin moving data right away.

Using the DataSync console

1. Open the AWS DataSync console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/datasync/.

2. In the left navigation pane, expand Data transfer, then choose Tasks.

3. Choose the task that you want to run.

   Make sure that the task has an Available status. You also can select multiple tasks.

4. Choose Actions and then choose one of the following options:

   • Start – Runs the task (or tasks if you selected more than one).

   • Start with overriding options – Allows you to modify some of your task settings before you begin moving data. When you're ready, choose Start.

5. Choose See execution details to view details about the running task execution.

Using the AWS CLI

To start your DataSync task, you just need to specify the Amazon Resource Name (ARN) of the task you want to run. Here's an example start-task-execution command:

aws datasync start-task-execution \
    --task-arn 'arn:aws:datasync:region:account-id:task/task-id'

The following example starts a task with a few settings that are different than the task's default settings:

aws datasync start-task-execution \
    --override-options VerifyMode=NONE,OverwriteMode=NEVER,PosixPermissions=NONE

The command returns an ARN for your task execution similar to the following example:

{ 
    "TaskExecutionArn": "arn:aws:datasync:us-east-1:209870788375:task/task-08de6e6697796f026/execution/exec-04ce9d516d69bd52f"
}

Note

Each agent can run a single task at a time.

Using the DataSync API

You can start your task by using the StartTaskExecution operation. Use the DescribeTaskExecution operation to get details about the running task execution.

Once started, you can check the task execution's status as DataSync copies your data. You also can throttle the task execution's bandwidth if needed.

Task execution statuses

When you start a DataSync task, you might see these statuses. (Task statuses are different than task execution statuses.)

Console status	API status	Description
Queueing	QUEUED	Another task execution is running and using the same DataSync agent. For more information, see Knowing when your task is queued.
Launching	LAUNCHING	DataSync is initializing the task execution. This status usually goes quickly but can take up to a few minutes.
Preparing	PREPARING	DataSync is determining what data needs to transfer. This can take just minutes or a few hours depending on the number of files, objects, or directories in both locations.
Transferring	TRANSFERRING	DataSync is performing the actual data transfer.
Verifying	VERIFYING	DataSync is performing a data-integrity check at the end of the transfer.
Success	SUCCESS	The task execution succeeded.
Cancelling	CANCELLING	The task execution is in the process of being cancelled.
Error	ERROR	The task execution failed.

Knowing when your task is queued

When running multiple tasks (for example, you're transferring a large dataset), DataSync might queue the tasks to run in a series (first in, first out). Some examples of when this happens include:

• You run different tasks that use the same DataSync agent. While you can use the same agent for multiple tasks, an agent can only run one task at a time.

• A task execution is in progress and you start additional executions of the same task using different filters or manifests.

In each example, the queued tasks don't start until the task ahead of them finishes.

Cancelling your task execution

You can stop any running or queued DataSync task execution.

To cancel a task execution by using the console

1. Open the AWS DataSync console at https://console.aws.amazon.com/datasync/.

2. In the left navigation pane, expand Data transfer, then choose Tasks.

3. Select the Task ID for the running task that you want to monitor.

   The task status should be Running.

4. Choose History to view the task's executions.

5. Select the task execution that you want to stop, and then choose Stop.

6. In the dialog box, choose Stop.

To cancel a running or queued task by using the DataSync API, see CancelTaskExecution.