Concepts
One of the benefits of using VMs is the ability to present their output to end-user machines in a variety of ways, enabling remote access, management, and collaboration. Identifying the right service to present the output of VMs to end-users is crucial for any system administrator or IT professional, especially in cloud environments such as Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)
Amazon EC2 instances are one of the primary ways of running VMs in AWS. Once an EC2 instance is provisioned and running, there are several ways to access it:
- SSH (Secure Shell)/RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol): Users can connect to Linux instances via SSH and to Windows instances using RDP. This allows full control of the VM as if the user were sitting right at the host.
- EC2 Instance Connect: Provides a browser-based interface to connect to your EC2 instances.
- AWS Systems Manager Session Manager: Allows users to establish a terminal session to an EC2 instance directly from the AWS Management Console without the need to open incoming ports, maintain bastion hosts, or manage SSH keys.
AWS AppStream 2.0
AWS AppStream 2.0 is a fully managed application streaming service that allows users to stream desktop applications from AWS to any device running a web browser. It’s a great way to deliver the output of VMs that are running applications end-users need, without having to give direct access to the VM itself.
- Elastic: Scale the number of streaming instances automatically in response to user demand.
- Persistency: Users can save their work and return to it later on any device.
Amazon WorkSpaces
Amazon WorkSpaces is a managed Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution that enables you to provision Windows or Linux desktops in just a few minutes and quickly scale to provide thousands of desktops to workers across the globe.
- Personalization: Users have access to their own persistent virtual desktops.
- Flexible: Monthly or hourly billing depending on usage.
AWS Management Console
Though not a direct method of presenting the output, the AWS Management Console can be used to manage virtual machines running in AWS. Through the console, users can start, stop, and terminate instances, as well as manage configurations and networking settings that can help control how the output is accessed.
Comparison Table
| Service | Usage | Accessibility | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| EC2 (SSH/RDP) | Direct VM Access | Requires SSH/RDP client | Full control of VM |
| EC2 Instance Connect | Browser-based VM Access | Web browser | Temporary access without SSH keys |
| AWS Systems Manager Session Manager | Browser-based VM Access | Web browser | No inbound port opening required |
| AWS AppStream 2.0 | Application Streaming | Web browser | Elastic, and supports persistency |
| Amazon WorkSpaces | Persistent Virtual Desktop | Amazon WorkSpaces Client | Personalized and flexible billing options |
In terms of concrete examples, accessing an EC2 instance via SSH might look like this from the command line:
ssh -i /path/to/key.pem ec2-user@ec2-198-51-100-1.compute-1.amazonaws.com
For RDP users, accessing a Windows instance would involve using the Remote Desktop Connection client and inputting the public DNS name or IP address of the instance.
AWS AppStream 2.0 and Amazon WorkSpaces work differently in that they provide a higher level of abstraction. A user does not connect to an EC2 instance but instead to a managed application stream or desktop environment. These services are ideal when strict access controls and simplified user interfaces are desired.
When preparing for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner Exam, it’s essential to understand the use cases and features of these services to determine which one is appropriate for deploying in various scenarios. The exam may include questions on how to securely and effectively present the output of VMs to end-users, making comprehension of these services vital for any cloud practitioner.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: Amazon EC2 instances can only be accessed through SSH or RDP protocols.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: B) False
Explanation: Amazon EC2 instances can be accessed through various methods including SSH, RDP, AWS Management Console, and third-party tools. They are not limited to only SSH or RDP protocols.
Which AWS service allows you to stream desktops from the cloud to end-users?
- A) Amazon EC2
- B) Amazon WorkSpaces
- C) AWS Lambda
- D) Amazon RDS
Answer: B) Amazon WorkSpaces
Explanation: Amazon WorkSpaces is a managed, secure Desktop-as-a-Service (DaaS) solution that helps you provision virtual, cloud-based Microsoft Windows or Amazon Linux desktops for your users.
Amazon AppStream 0 is designed to deliver which type of applications to a web browser?
- A) Native desktop applications
- B) Mobile applications
- C) Microservices
- D) Batch processing applications
Answer: A) Native desktop applications
Explanation: Amazon AppStream 0 is a fully managed application streaming service that allows you to stream your desktop applications to a web browser, making them accessible from anywhere.
True or False: AWS Direct Connect can help reduce network costs, increase bandwidth throughput, and provide a more consistent network experience than internet-based connections when streaming virtual desktops.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: AWS Direct Connect is a cloud service solution that makes it easy to establish a dedicated network connection from your premises to AWS, which can provide a more consistent network experience for streaming virtual desktops.
Which of the following AWS services can be used to monitor the performance of your virtual machines (VMs)?
- A) Amazon GuardDuty
- B) AWS CloudTrail
- C) AWS X-Ray
- D) Amazon CloudWatch
Answer: D) Amazon CloudWatch
Explanation: Amazon CloudWatch is a monitoring service for AWS cloud resources and the applications you run on AWS. It can be used to collect and track metrics, collect and monitor log files, and monitor the performance of your VMs.
True or False: Amazon WorkLink allows you to access your internal web applications on mobile devices without exposing them to the public Internet.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: Amazon WorkLink is a fully managed service that lets you provide your workforce with secure, easy access to your internal corporate websites and web apps using their mobile phones.
What is the primary purpose of Amazon Elastic Graphics?
- A) To provide dedicated physical servers for your use.
- B) To accelerate graphics-intensive workloads.
- C) To manage user identities and access.
- D) To automate the deployment of infrastructure.
Answer: B) To accelerate graphics-intensive workloads.
Explanation: Amazon Elastic Graphics allows you to attach low-cost graphics acceleration to Amazon EC2 instances, which helps accelerate graphics-intensive applications.
Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling helps you:
- A) Scale out to millions of simultaneous desktop users.
- B) Provide single sign-on (SSO) for desktop users.
- C) Ensure that you maintain a fixed number of running EC2 instances.
- D) Stream applications to any device.
Answer: C) Ensure that you maintain a fixed number of running EC2 instances.
Explanation: Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling helps you maintain application availability and allows you to automatically add or remove EC2 instances according to conditions you define.
True or False: VPN connections are a viable option to enable secure connections to your virtual desktops in AWS.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: VPN connections can be used to enable secure IPsec connections between your on-premise networks and your VPCs in AWS, giving you secure access to your virtual desktops.
AWS Client VPN allows end-users to access which of the following?
- A) EC2 instances only
- B) S3 buckets only
- C) Any AWS resources that the user has permissions to access
- D) DynamoDB tables only
Answer: C) Any AWS resources that the user has permissions to access
Explanation: AWS Client VPN is a managed client-based VPN service that enables you to securely access your AWS resources and resources in your on-premises network.
Which service provides a virtualized Windows-based platform for running Microsoft SQL Server instances in the cloud?
- A) Amazon RDS
- B) Amazon EC2 with Amazon EBS
- C) AWS Lambda
- D) Amazon S3
Answer: B) Amazon EC2 with Amazon EBS
Explanation: Amazon EC2 with Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) can be used to create a virtualized environment for running Windows-based applications, like Microsoft SQL Server, in the cloud.
True or False: You can use AWS Systems Manager to interact with EC2 instances to streamline the output on end-user machines.
- A) True
- B) False
Answer: A) True
Explanation: AWS Systems Manager allows you to view and control your infrastructure on AWS. You can use it to manage EC2 instances, which in turn can affect output for end-user machines.
Great post! Really helped clarify the different AWS services that can be used to present the output of VMs.
The blog mentions Amazon WorkSpaces as a primary service for delivering VMs to end-user machines. Can anyone expand on how secure this service is?
Great post! This is exactly what I needed to get prepped for the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam.
Has anyone used Amazon AppStream 2.0? Is it better than WorkSpaces for VMs?
Thanks for the detailed breakdown on VMs!
I think the explanation could include more on IAM roles and their importance when setting up VMs>
Can someone explain the difference between AWS EC2 and Amazon WorkSpaces for VMs?
Really informative post, thanks!