AWS - The Core Compute Services #Chapter7

AWS - The Core Compute Services #Chapter7

1. Domain 3: Cloud Technology and Services

   • 3.1 Define methods of deploying and operating in the AWS Cloud
   • 3.3: Identify AWS compute services

2. Domain 4: Billing, Pricing, and Support

   • 4.1: Compare AWS pricing models
   • 4.2: Understand resources for billing, budget, and cost management

3. Amazon Machine Images AMI

   • An image is a software bundle that was built from a template definition and made available within a single AWS Region. The bundle can be copied to a freshly created storage volume that, once the image is extracted, will become a bootable drive that'll turn the VM it's attached to into a fully operational server.
   • An image is a software bundle that was built from a template definition and made available within a single AWS Region. The bundle can be copied to a freshly created storage volume that, once the image is extracted, will become a bootable drive that'll turn the VM it's attached to into a fully operational server.

4. Using Quick Start AMIs

   • Even outside of the Free Tier, the use of the open source operating systems like Ubuntu and Amazon Linux will always be free
   • The available Linux distributions you'll find here are often categorized as long-term support (LTS) releases, meaning that they'll be eligible for security and functional updates for at least five years from their original release date
   • choices—like Windows Server and RHEL—will carry the normal licensing charges.

5. Using AWS Marketplace and Community AMIs

   • AWS Marketplace is a software store managed by Amazon where vendors make their products available to AWS customers as ready-to-run AMIs
   • Marketplace AMIs will often offer a limited-time free trial for their software and reduced annual subscription rates.

6. Creating Your Own AMIs

   • It's possible to convert any EC2 instance into an AMI by creating a snapshot from the EBS volume used with an instance and then creating an image from the snapshot

7. Understanding EC2 Instance Types

   • Amazon EC2 provides a wide selection of instance types optimized to fit different use cases. Instance types comprise varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking capacity and give you the flexibility to choose the appropriate mix of resources for your applications. Each instance type includes one or more instance sizes, allowing you to scale your resources to the requirements of your target workload.
   • https://aws.amazon.com/ec2/instance-types/
   • While, in general, the more vCPUs and memory you get, the better your instance will perform, that's definitely not the whole story
   • The T2, T3, and M5 types are included in the general-purpose family because of their ability to perform well for a wide range of uses
   • If regulatory restrictions or company policy requires you to use only physically isolated instances, you can request either a dedicated instance or a dedicated host.
     • A dedicated instance is a regular EC2 instance that, instead of sharing a physical host with other AWS customers, runs on an isolated host that's set aside exclusively for your account.
     • A dedicated host also gives you instance isolation but, in addition, allows a higher level of control over how your instances will be placed and run within the host environment.

8. Amazon Elastic Block Store

   • Like everything else in the cloud, the storage volumes holding your instance's OS and data are going to be virtual
   • The physical drive where an EBS volume actually exists may live quite a distance from the physical server that's giving your instance lif
   • As fast as the EBS-EC2 responses are, they're still not quite as good as the experience you'll get from EC2 instance store volumes.
     • So, what does EBS offer to compensate? Unlike the instance store that's ephemeral, the data stored on EBS volumes will survive shutdowns and system crashes. That can be a factor for workloads where data persistence is necessary.EBS volumes can be encrypted, which, when you're working with sensitive data, can make a big difference.EBS volumes can be moved around, mounted on other instances, and, as you've seen, converted to AMIs.

9. Amazon EC2 Instance Store Volumes

   • Unlike EBS, those instance types compatible with instance store volumes can enjoy the benefits of having their data on physical drives attached directly to the physical instance server.
   • The downsides of instance store volumes (ephemeral data, no encryption, and lack of flexibility)

10. EC2 Pricing Models

    • On-Demand Instances
      • The most expensive pricing tier is on-demand, where you pay for every hour the instance is running regardless of whether you're actually using it. Depending on the instance type you're using and the AWS region where it's running, you could pay as little as $0.0058 per hour (that's around half a U.S. penny) for a t2.nano running Linux or as much as $24.48 per hour for a p3.16xlarge.
      • On-demand is great for workloads that need to run for a limited time without interruption
    • Reserved Instances
      • If your application needs to run uninterrupted for more than a month at a time, then you'll usually be better off purchasing a reserved instance. Practically, however, you're unlikely to find an available reservation with a term shorter than 12 months. One- and three-year terms are always available.
      • If your application needs to run uninterrupted for more than a month at a time, then you'll usually be better off purchasing a reserved instance
    • Spot Instances
      • For workloads that don't need to run constantly and can survive unexpected shutdowns, your cheapest option will probably involve requesting instances on the EC2 spot market. AWS makes unused compute capacity available at steep discounts—as much as 90 percent off the on-demand cost. The catch is that the capacity can, on two minutes' notice, be reclaimed by shutting down your instance.
      • For workloads that don't need to run constantly and can survive unexpected shutdowns, your cheapest option will probably involve requesting instances on the EC2 spot market