Importing Image into AWS as an AMI using AWS CLI. (84/285 technotes for 2015)

Importing an external image into AWS requires the steps below.

• Download and install the AWS Command Line Interface.
• goto command prompt and
• make sure ec2 import-image command is avaliable

aws ec2 help

• Download the VM image from its current environment as an OVA file (or VMDK, VHD, or RAW).
• Upload the VM image to S3 using the web console. Goto S3 –> choose / create a bucket and upload the VM file.

• Once the VM image is uploaded, import your VM using the ec2 import-image command.

aws ec2 import-image –cli-input-json “
{  "Description": "Datapower OVA",
    "DiskContainers": [
          { "Description": "First CLI task",
            "UserBucket": 

             { "S3Bucket": "datapower-bucket", 

               "S3Key" : "rel_agoradco_nonpd_xen.vhd" 

           }
        } ]
}”

• Use the ec2 describe-import-image-tasks command to monitor the import progress.

aws ec2 describe-import-image-tasks –import-task-ids import-ami-fgifmh5x

• Once your import task is completed, you can use the ec2 run-instances command to create an Amazon EC2 instance from the AMI generated during the import process.

References:

• http://amzn.to/1cx679l
• http://ibm.co/1cwYhg0

Importing & Exporting Instances in AWS. (45 of 285 technotes for 2015)

You can use the AWS VM export Import tool to import VM images from local environment to AWS and convert them to ready to use EC2 instances. Later you can export back to the local environment

Advantages:

• Leverage existing investment in building the local instances - configurations, compliance, etc.
  

Limitations Exporting: 

Cannot export

• Amazon EBS (Elastic Blcok Storage) data volumes
  
• An instance that has more than virtual disk
• Unless it has been previously imported into AWS.

Limitations Importing:

• Can have upto 5 import tasks at the same time per region
  
• Task timeout is 7 days
• Typically you use a compressed version of the dusk image (<1 TB)
  
• Make sure your VM uses a single disk
• Atleast 250 MB of space is required for installing drivers and other s/w
• Multiple NIC not supported. After importing your instance will have single NIC with DHCP for address assignment.
• IPv6 not suported

References:

http://amzn.to/1DgMjMS