#ubuntu-ec2 2010-02-22
<vvor> Hi, I have used a script that, while running on my server, outputted the Amazon ec2 estimated price for that configuration and work load. I can not, for my life, remember the name or find it on google. HELP! Thanks :-)
#ubuntu-ec2 2010-02-24
<flaccid> is there a dynamic/arbitrary way to set JAVA_HOME ? i.e. without having to follow the symlinks from /usr/bin/java back to `/usr/lib/jvm/java-6-sun/jre/bin/java' ?
<flaccid> (or whichever java is installed and configured with alternatives)
<jaoudestudios> hi
<jaoudestudios> on ec2, if I stop an instance/vm do i still have to pay for it?
<orangeacme> you pay per instance running per hour
<erichammond> jaoudestudios: It depends on what you mean by "stop".  If you "terminate" an instance, then you stop paying for it. If you "stop" an EBS boot instance, then you stop paying by the hour, but you continue paying $0.10/month/GB of storage for the EBS boot disk.
<jaoudestudios> so if it is not running, then I dont pay for anything?
<jaoudestudios> so whats stops me from havign 20 stopped instances and pay nothing
<jaoudestudios> ah I see
<jaoudestudios> I think :)
<jaoudestudios> by stopped I mean, not running, but still available to boot up when required
<erichammond> jaoudestudios: That would be an EBS boot instance, then.
<jaoudestudios> and if it took 10GB of disk space, then I would be paying for that
<erichammond> $1/month, yes
<jaoudestudios> ok, thanks
<erichammond> plus $15/GB/month of snapshot storage if you take snapshots of your EBS volumes (recommended)
<jaoudestudios> it all sounds great, but when coming down to the details it is not that easy
<erichammond> er, $0.15/GB/mo
<erichammond> Yes, it is a bit complicated.
<jaoudestudios> ok
<jaoudestudios> can I clone?
<erichammond> jaoudestudios: In some ways, yes.  You can take a snapshot of the root disk, register it as an AMI, and run a new instance of that AMI.
<jaoudestudios> hmm ok
<erichammond> Takes a bit of time, depending on how recently you took your last snapshot.
<jaoudestudios> I am trying to way up the pros & cons of continuing with my dedi box or move to cloud
<erichammond> jaoudestudios: It's cheap to try these things out to see if they work for what you want, but it does take a bit of reading to understand them.
<jaoudestudios> yeah might be worth a go, I just dont want to end up with a massive bill at the end of the month
<erichammond> Personally, I'm paying more, but I have more power and flexibility and it is a ton of fun.
<jaoudestudios> ok :)
<jaoudestudios> what language do you code in?
<jaoudestudios> I am a php dev, would I have to code any differently?
<erichammond> jaoudestudios: You can use whatever runs on Linux.
<erichammond> :)
<jaoudestudios> :)
<erichammond> I've been a Perl guy since 1993.
<jaoudestudios> :)
<jaoudestudios> yeah def might give it a go :)
<jaoudestudios> erichammond: thanks
<smoser> anyone ever end up with instances stuck in "shutting down" ?
<smoser> they wont be killed,
<careo> smoser: really? like if you call terminate-instances they don't die?
<flaccid> smoser: that can occur, usually AWS needs to be contacted to kill a suck instance
<flaccid> but do ensure you issued a terminate call at least twice
#ubuntu-ec2 2010-02-25
<smoser> yeah. flaccid so how do you contact ? just in the forum ?
<flaccid> or if you have paid support
<smoser> well, http://developer.amazonwebservices.com/connect/thread.jspa?threadID=43105
<flaccid> smoser: good luck
#ubuntu-ec2 2010-02-26
<smoser> hi all, anyone know what actually happens when you do a "Instance Actions -> Create Image (EBS AMI)" for an EBS root instance at the AWS console ?
<erichammond> smoser: I assume that it takes snapshots of the EBS volumes attached to the instance and registers them as a new AMI.
<erichammond> However, on the surface it appears it might do it backwards with things happening behind the scenes.
<erichammond> I.e., it creates an AMI id in "pending" state with no snapshots visible for a long time.
<erichammond> If the instance is running, there is a chance that the snapshotted file systems are not consistent as the snapshots are initiated externally.
<erichammond> Oh, scratch that.  It appears to "stop" the instance while it takes the snapshots.
<smoser> yeah
<smoser> i later looked.
<erichammond> :-/
<smoser> thanks though.
<smoser> its basically (i think) running ec2-create-image
<smoser> it shuts the image down, takes the data off the snapshot, then starts it back up
<erichammond> I'm not sure what the criteria are for which EBS volumes are snapshotted and included in the AMI.  It's including both of the volumes attached to my instance, but that might have been because I started the instance with the extra volume attached
<smoser> its not going to be clean
<erichammond> It should be clean.  I believe a "stop" initiates a "shutdown" inside the instance first.
<smoser> well, yes, but just because a system is booted and then shut down doesn't mean its ready to be rebundled.
<smoser> any cruft from boot is still around.
