Amazon Web Services (AWS) provides a comprehensive EC2 FAQ on its website. However, a problem for newcomers to the cloud is that the answers to the frequently asked questions are written in a language only experienced AWS users will understand – prompting us to write a “simply answered” EC2 FAQ for beginners.
If you’re a newcomer to the cloud, and you have ever tried to find an answer to a question on Amazon’s EC2 FAQ, you have our sympathy. Although Amazon’s EC2 FAQ is extremely comprehensive, the answers are written for the benefit of experienced AWS users and often relate to the latest releases – making it difficult to find a straightforward answer to a relatively simple question.
To be fair to AWS, there are many topics to cover in the EC2 FAQ, and you can find straightforward answers to simple questions by typing the question directly into a search engine. However, in our opinion, it would help newcomers to the cloud if there was an EC2 FAQ written in plain English for beginners. This is what we have attempted to achieve below with varying degrees of simplicity.
A simply answered EC2 FAQ for newcomers to the cloud
Our “simply answered” EC2 FAQ assumes readers have some knowledge about the cloud, what it is, how it works, and the benefits of cloud computing. If you don’t yet have this level of knowledge, we suggest you refer to our article “What is Cloud Computing” as the following relates exclusively to Amazon´s EC2 service, which is only one element of cloud computing.
What is EC2?
EC2 is an acronym for “Elastic Compute Cloud”, which itself is a fancy name for Amazon Web Services’ cloud computing service. The reason the service is called “elastic” is because users can launch, resize, or terminate Amazon EC2 Instances whenever they wish in order to suit their changing needs. Since the service is provided “On Demand”, users only pay for what they provision.
What is an EC2 Instance?
An EC2 Instance is the part of a physical server located in an AWS data center allocated for your use. It consists of the processor, memory, storage, and network resources you’ll need to run your workloads. Also known as a “virtual server”, an EC2 Instance can be provisioned with different processing, memory, and storage capabilities to suit each workload’s needs.
What is provisioning?
When you launch an EC2 Instance, you provision it with a specific capacity of processing power, memory, and storage. The maximum capacity provisioned is what you pay for regardless of whether the instance uses the full capacity or not. This is an important point to remember, because it’s not true that you only pay for what you use in the cloud – you pay for what you provision.
Do I continue paying when Instances are not used?
Yes. This is one of the three primary reasons businesses pay too much for EC2 Instances (the others are over-provisioning and failing to take full advantage of Reserved Instances). If you leave non-production EC2 Instances running – i.e. those used for development and testing – when you’re not using them, you’ll continue to be charged for what you’ve provisioned. It’s better to stop them or terminate them.
What’s the difference between stopping and terminating EC2 Instances?
When you stop an instance (via the AWS console or other software solution) the bootable storage volume attached to the instance isn’t deleted so that when you want to restart the instance, the work that’s been done by the instance is how you left it. When you terminate an EC2 Instance, everything is deleted and you won’t be able to carry on where you left off.
How do I know what capacity my workloads need?
If you’re migrating a workload from an on-premises environment to the cloud, you should be able to access utilization metrics that will give you an idea about the processing, memory, and storage requirements. If you don’t have accurate data to work with, start with a mid-range General Purpose EC2 Instance and adjust the size or family type once you have utilization metrics available.
What are EC2 Instance family types?
AWS provides five different types of EC2 Instances known as “families” because of their shared characteristics. The previously mentioned General Purpose EC2 Instance is ideal for most compute jobs; but, when you monitor your workloads, you may find you need a different balance of processing power, memory, and storage. To accommodate these requirements, AWS offers:
- Compute Optimized Instances for workloads such as fast batch processing that will benefit from high performance processors.
- Accelerated Compute Instances for workloads such as deep learning, physical simulation, and molecular modeling.
- Memory Optimized Instances for workloads that process large data sets or perform enterprise-level analytics.
- Storage Optimized Instances for workloads that require high throughput access to large quantities of data.
What are Reserved Instances?
Reserved Instances aren’t a family type, but rather a reservation of resources and capacity you commit to in advance. You can commit to a Reserved Instance for one or three years in order to get a discount against the On Demand cost and pay the full amount in advance, partially upfront, or pay nothing upfront. Some classes of Reserved Instances can be modified or exchanged as your needs change.
What is an EC2 AMI?
The acronym “AMI” stands for “Amazon Machine Image”. It’s basically a template containing all the information you need to launch an EC2 Instance. AWS provides AMI templates as part of the EC2 service, but you can also create them yourself or get bespoke templates from the AWS Community or AWS Marketplace. You can use as many AMIs as you need, or use the same one multiple times.
Can I Try EC2 for Free?
Yes you can, and this is the best way to get started on AWS. Simply register for an account with Amazon Web Services, and you will receive 750 hours of EC2 compute hours per month for a year. You’re limited to “t.2” General Purpose micro instances during your free trial, but that will give you the opportunity to get more accustomed to launching, rightsizing, and stopping/terminating EC2 Instances before you take the next steps on your cloud journey.
Where can I find more EC2 information in plain english?
If your business is in the process of migrating on-premises assets to the cloud, our team will also explain how the CloudHealth Migration Assessment can help you plan a successful migration strategy. This will help your business achieve its objectives of moving to the cloud without the issues and overspends frequently experienced by businesses just starting on their cloud journeys.
