Concepts

Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) serve as the templates from which Amazon EC2 instances can be launched. By creating a custom AMI, you can save time on configuration and ensure that your EC2 instances are pre-loaded with your software and configuration settings. Managing AMIs is a key skill for an AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate, as it allows for the consistent deployment and scalability of environments.

Creating a Custom AMI

To create a custom AMI, you typically start with an existing AMI, make changes to the instance, and then create a new AMI based on that instance. Here is a step-by-step process:

  1. Launch an EC2 instance from an existing AMI:
    • From the AWS Management Console, navigate to the EC2 Dashboard and click “Launch Instance”.
    • Choose a base AMI that is closest to your needs and select an instance type.
    • Configure instance details, add storage, and tags as per your requirement.
    • Configure a security group and key pair, then launch the instance.
  2. Customize your instance:
    • Once the instance is running, connect to it using SSH or RDP.
    • Make the required changes such as installing software, updating packages, configuring settings, etc.
  3. Create a new AMI:
    • Stop the instance to ensure data integrity during the image creation process.
    • Navigate to the EC2 Dashboard, right-click on the instance, and select “Create Image”.
    • Enter the details for the AMI, such as name and description, and then click “Create Image”.
  4. The process will create an AMI and snapshots associated with it.

Managing AMIs

Once an AMI is created, you can manage it by:

  • Sharing an AMI: Make your AMI available to others by changing its permissions.
  • Deregistering an AMI: If you no longer need an AMI, you can deregister it. This does not delete the underlying snapshots.
  • Copying an AMI: You can copy AMIs across AWS regions, enabling multi-region deployment.

EC2 Image Builder

EC2 Image Builder is a service that automates the creation, management, and deployment of customized, secure, and up-to-date “golden” server images. The following outlines how to use EC2 Image Builder:

  1. Define an image recipe:
    • Specify the base image directly or choose a parent image by providing the ARN.
    • Add components to install software, run tests, and apply settings.
    • Set up image tests to validate the image functionality.
  2. Create an Image Builder pipeline:
    • Define the infrastructure configuration, detailing the instance type and network settings to use during the image creation process.
    • Set the distribution settings to govern where the image should be distributed once created, such as specific AWS regions.
    • Create the pipeline, set a schedule for when the image should be updated, and specify the output AMI name format.
  3. Monitor the pipeline:
    • Track the image building process through provided CloudWatch events and logs.
    • Organize logs and resources with tags defined for the pipeline.

Example Use Case

Consider a scenario where an organization needs to deploy a fleet of EC2 instances all pre-configured with a specific set of security patches, application software, and host configurations. By using a custom AMI, they can ensure that each instance spun from the AMI maintains the required standards. Plus, with EC2 Image Builder, they can automate the process of updating and maintaining the security and compliance of their golden images over time, without manual intervention.

Conclusion

Creating and managing AMIs is vital for consistent and scalable deployments in AWS. Custom AMIs can help with faster startup times and pre-configured settings, while EC2 Image Builder can assist in automating the lifecycle of an image. Together, these tools are imperative for a SysOps Administrator to maintain efficient and compliant AWS environments. By leveraging AWS best practices and continuously optimizing your AMI strategy, you can achieve greater productivity and reliability in your cloud operations.

Answer the Questions in Comment Section

True or False: An AMI contains all the information necessary to boot instances of your software.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: An Amazon Machine Image (AMI) provides the information required to launch an instance, which is a virtual server in the cloud. It includes the operating system, application server, and applications.

True or False: AMIs can only be used in the region where they were originally created.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: While AMIs are regional, you have the ability to copy AMIs from one AWS region to another to use them.

Which AWS service can be used to automate the creation of AMIs?

  • AWS Elastic Beanstalk
  • EC2 Image Builder
  • AWS OpsWorks
  • AWS Lambda

Answer: EC2 Image Builder

Explanation: EC2 Image Builder is a service designed to make it easier to automate the creation, management, and deployment of AMIs.

True or False: You need to stop an instance before creating an AMI from it.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: While it is recommended to stop an instance before creating an AMI to ensure file system integrity, it is not strictly necessary; you can create an AMI from a running instance.

When an AMI is shared with another AWS account, what permissions are granted to that account?

  • Full administrative access to the AMI
  • Launch permissions only
  • Permissions to modify the AMI
  • Permissions to delete the AMI

Answer: Launch permissions only

Explanation: Sharing an AMI with another AWS account allows that account to launch instances from the AMI. The sharing account does not gain the ability to modify or delete the source AMI.

True or False: EC2 Image Builder can be used to build container images as well as AMIs.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: EC2 Image Builder can be used to automate the creation of both container images and AMIs, ensuring that both types of images include the latest patches and updates.

Which of the following statements are true regarding AMIs? (Select TWO)

  • AMIs are always private by default.
  • AMIs can include volumes in addition to the root volume.
  • AMIs can be encrypted using the AWS Key Management Service (KMS).
  • All AMIs are pre-configured by AWS with commonly used software.
  • AMIs can be created for instances only, not for volumes.

Answer: AMIs are always private by default, AMIs can be encrypted using the AWS Key Management Service (KMS).

Explanation: By default, an AMI is private and only accessible by the creator. You can optionally share it with other accounts or make it public. AMIs can also be encrypted to protect data at rest using AWS KMS.

True or False: An AMI must be deregistered before you can delete its underlying snapshots.

  • True
  • False

Answer: True

Explanation: You have to deregister an AMI before you can delete the snapshots that were created when the AMI was registered.

Which of the following are advantages of creating your own AMI? (Select TWO)

  • Reducing the time to launch new instances
  • Decreasing the cost of instances that use the AMI
  • Ensuring consistency across multiple instance deployments
  • Automatically updating instances launched from the AMI
  • Bypassing the need for security groups and IAM roles

Answer: Reducing the time to launch new instances, Ensuring consistency across multiple instance deployments

Explanation: Creating your own AMI allows for rapid deployment of pre-configured instances and ensures consistency across instances by using the same configuration, but it does not decrease instance costs, automatically update instances, or bypass security requirements.

True or False: You can change the root device type of an instance after creating an AMI from it.

  • True
  • False

Answer: False

Explanation: The root device type (instance store or EBS) is set at the AMI creation time and cannot be changed once the AMI is created.

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Meral Taşçı
6 months ago

Great post! It really helped me understand how to create and manage AMIs using EC2 Image Builder.

Ane Falkenberg
8 months ago

Can someone explain how to automate AMI creation? I want to schedule it weekly.

Paige Caldwell
7 months ago

Thanks for the detailed tutorial. It was really useful for the SOA-C02 exam prep.

Aaron Li
8 months ago

How do you handle AMI versioning in a large-scale environment?

Mércia Porto
6 months ago

Appreciate the effort put into writing this blog. Thanks a lot!

Lyna Blanc
8 months ago

What are the best practices for managing AMIs for different environments like dev, staging, and prod?

Teodora Ćirković
6 months ago

How do you integrate EC2 Image Builder with CI/CD pipelines?

Aashish Sullad
8 months ago

The blog is good, but I think it missed some considerations around billing and cost management.

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