Instructor Training: How to manage AWS Instances

Learn how to configure, create, manage, and delete, one or multiple instances

We have created instructor training for anyone interested in deploying and managing cloud resources. This workshop will enable you to facilitate training at your own institution or workplace utilising the Cloud-SPAN learning materials. This module teaches how to manage Amazon Web Services (AWS) instances — each instance being a Linux virtual machine. Using Bash Shell scripts, it is shown how to configure, create, stop, start, and delete, one or multiple instances with a single invocation of a script.

Cloud-SPAN instructors are available to deliver this 3 hour training session at your institution at no cost to you. They can teach you and your team the method they have used for over 2 years to efficiently manage AWS instances and AMIs for many workshops. For the training session participants only need the Terminal/Shell and ssh programs on their laptops.

How to schedule a training workshop?

To schedule a workshop between March and May 2024, please contact us on cloud-span-project@york.ac.uk This training opportunity is free of charge.

Target audience

The target audience of the course is anyone in charge of, or interested in, deploying and managing cloud resources. While the module is focused on AWS, and particularly Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) instances, the scripts can be adapted for use with other cloud providers and other types of cloud services.

Pre-requisites

The workshop assumes no prior experience with the AWS concepts and tools covered but you will need experience of the Linux Terminal (Shell/Command Line Interface).

Programme

The workshop is based on the final 3 lessons from the self-study course Automated Management of AWS Instances topics covered include; Instance Management Tasks Using the Scripts, AMIs Management and The Scripts Design.

  • Topic 1 Setting up the work environment - Learn how to set up your working environment, your AWS account and your shell terminal configuration, to be able to run the scripts.
  • Topic 2 Managing AWS instances - Learn some best practices to deploy and manage AWS instances for a course, for testing software configurations, for creating new AMIs.
  • Topic 3 Managing AMIs, Scripts - Learn the blurry bits of the scripts, how to control changes to the scripts with GitHub, the Cloud-SPAN AMIs, when and how to create and control AMI versions, updating an AMI Linux and software tools, and more.

Learning outcomes

Following completion of this course, learners will be able to

  • configure and run the scripts to create and manage instances for workshops, manage late registrations and cancellations, and troubleshooting
  • create, manage and configure AMI templates (from which instances are created) with their own data and software analysis tools
  • understand how the scripts work so they can customise them.