[15:41] <hubidubi> hi
[15:42] <hubidubi> I'm new to cloud computing and ac2 and I need to plan an ubuntu server running in ac2
[15:43] <hubidubi> is there anybody who would answer some general questions?
[15:43] <hubidubi> I read lots of docs although I still have lots of dark spots
[15:46]  * orangeac1e recommends learning by doing
[15:47] <hubidubi> orangeacme:  you're right, I'm planning to do it, but still have some basic question
[15:48] <hubidubi> this time of ubuntu server is similar to a simple vmware virtual server?
[15:48] <hubidubi> I've read somewhere that it can't persist data so I have to save data to s3
[15:48] <hubidubi> is it true?
[15:49] <orangeacme> the local instance storage disappears when you shut the machine down
[15:50] <orangeacme> you can use the elastic block store which is like a persistent disk
[15:50] <kim0> hubidubi: welcome
[15:50] <orangeacme> but ultimately you probably want to keep backups in s3
[15:50] <hubidubi> ok, but I have access to the file system of my virtual machine, isn't it?
[15:50] <hubidubi> so I can write data to my file system
[15:51] <orangeacme> local instance storage and ebs look just like a local device
[15:52] <hubidubi> ok, but if I use my virtual machine should I know anything about amazon infrastructure?
[15:53] <hubidubi> I mean, I won't see outside from my virtual box
[15:54] <hubidubi> let me more straight
[15:54] <hubidubi> We have a java based server application with sql database backend that we would like to migrate to an ec2 based ubuntu virtual machine
[15:55] <hubidubi> do we have to make any changes on infrastructure/architecture comparing to a standalone server?
[15:56] <hubidubi> can I use any SQL database on EC2 host as I would use it on a standalone server?
[15:57] <orangeacme> i think your questions can generally be answered by "yes, it looks just like another server"
[15:58] <orangeacme> but you might want to consider backups and bringing up new servers if that one goes down
[15:58] <hubidubi> an ec2 server image is as persistent as a vmware or any other virtual server image?
[15:58] <hubidubi> I mean it won't lose data after restart eg.
[15:59] <hubidubi> yes, normal backups are the same as on normal servers, absolutely necessary
[16:00] <orangeacme> http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSEC2/latest/DeveloperGuide/ # says on instance storage: "If an instance reboots (intentionally or unintentionally), the data on the instance store will survive. However, if an underlying drive fails, or if you stop or terminate the instance, the data in the instance store will be lost."
[16:03] <orangeacme> but see also amis backed by amazon ebs
[16:10] <hubidubi> thanks for your help
[16:10] <hubidubi> I go and read all of these docs
[16:18] <kim0> orangeacme: Thanks for all the answers :)