[16:16] <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 ?
[19:32] <erichammond> smoser: I assume that it takes snapshots of the EBS volumes attached to the instance and registers them as a new AMI.
[19:32] <erichammond> However, on the surface it appears it might do it backwards with things happening behind the scenes.
[19:32] <erichammond> I.e., it creates an AMI id in "pending" state with no snapshots visible for a long time.
[19:33] <erichammond> If the instance is running, there is a chance that the snapshotted file systems are not consistent as the snapshots are initiated externally.
[19:34] <erichammond> Oh, scratch that.  It appears to "stop" the instance while it takes the snapshots.
[19:34] <smoser> yeah
[19:34] <smoser> i later looked.
[19:34] <erichammond> :-/
[19:34] <smoser> thanks though.
[19:35] <smoser> its basically (i think) running ec2-create-image
[19:35] <smoser> it shuts the image down, takes the data off the snapshot, then starts it back up
[19:35] <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
[19:35] <smoser> its not going to be clean
[19:36] <erichammond> It should be clean.  I believe a "stop" initiates a "shutdown" inside the instance first.
[19:36] <smoser> well, yes, but just because a system is booted and then shut down doesn't mean its ready to be rebundled.
[19:36] <smoser> any cruft from boot is still around.