The micro AWS instance is actually free for new accounts for a year: http://aws.amazon.com/free/
My reserved small instance costs about $25/month (because I "reserved it for three years" with a one time fee of ~$300 - then you have to pay the monthly fee). Storage is 1c a gig, traffic cost tends to be almost irrelevant for small deployments). If you are worried, see their pricing http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/#pricing As far as backups, it takes two clicks with from the console to create a live snapshot of your instance to store it in S3 (the storage service), or you can trigger it my calling the *ec2-create-snapshot<http://docs.amazonwebservices.com/AWSEC2/latest/CommandLineReference/index.html?ApiReference-cmd-CreateSnapshot.html> * API with a cronjob or manually. As far as the instances go, the firewall has everything (except ssh) off by default. It is your instance, so you have to do patch it whenever you think it is a good idea (like you would any other machine you manage). For one of the GeoMeetups that I run up here, I did a little presentation on how to go from nothing, to a full fledged ubuntu-based geo-server in one hour using Amazon EC2. You may find the notes useful since they mention the official Ubuntu images uploaded by Cannonical http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4779803/geomeetup_amazon.pdf Hope this helps, - Ragi > Message: 3 > Date: Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:18:21 -0800 > From: Peter Manis <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [LinuxUsers] AWS > To: SoCal LUG Users List <[email protected]> > Message-ID: > <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Is there a specific reason you are going to use AWS? The micro AWS EC2 > instance is like $14 a month, but that doesn't include the storage or > transfer. The small is like $60/mo for just a month of running time. If > you > go with Linode you can have automated backups, you will still get the > images > for quick setup, you will admin a real system and it will cost you less. > > I have used Linode for my VPS for quite a while and love them. They have > CentOS, Ubuntu, Slackware, Debian, ArchLinux, and a few others. They also > give you a web terminal to use incase you lock yourself out with a firewall > rule. > > I don't think you should rely on AWS images to be secure. I wouldn't think > they would default to the most secure settings and have people tweak that. > In the case of Linode I am always fairly paranoid just out of habit. > Before > I install anything I lock down user access and setup firewall rules, > install > a couple security tools, scan the system, then start installing things. > Rescan, then move data to the server. > > On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 1:35 PM, Paul Saenz <[email protected] > >wrote: > > > Well as I said, I'll be using ubuntu if I use AWS which is very > > likely. But I have another question, which may not necessarily be a > > good question for this list. It's about AWS. They claim the images are > > secure. Can someone tell me: it seems to me that since they have an > > ubuntu image (which is what I will go with) as long as I use ubuntu > > supported repositories for any software, then all I have to do is keep > > do the security updates. If I put my server on the net, then, for the > > most part, I won't have to worry about getting hacked. Nevertheless, I > > will, of course, have to implement a backup strategy. Can someone tell > > me is that correct? > > > > Thanks > > Paul > > > > On Fri, Feb 18, 2011 at 8:27 AM, Jeff Lasman <[email protected]> > > wrote: > > > On Thursday, February 17, 2011 04:51:28 pm Paul Saenz wrote: > > > > > >> Well that settles it then. I'm definitely going to have to go with > > >> Ubuntu, and, as I said before, I'm going to have to install CentOS in > > >> a virtual server so I can learn it and cpanel, simply because I see > > >> that it is one of the more popular unsupported open source servers, > > >> and lot's of people seem to be using it. > > >> > > >> Correct me if I'm wrong. If I download the CentOS with cpanel so I can > > >> learn cpanel, and install it on my virtual server, I won't be > > >> violating any License will I? > > > > > > You won't be violating any CentOS license. It's entirely open source. > > > > > > You won't be violating CPanel to download and install the image. It's > a > > > closed source commercial product and it won't run without a license. > > > > > > The image is supplied by BuyCPanel.com; they're one of two authorized > > CPanel > > > resellers. You can get a license from them at a cost of $15 per month > > for > > > your "instance". Note it requires an external addressable IP# on which > > it > > > will run; you need to get that from Amazon. > > > > > > Do you really need CPanel? Why? (We manage lots of servers, lots of > > sites, > > > and we don't need it <smile>.) > > > > > > The only reason I could see for needing it would be if you want to do > > > commercial webhosting for others. Learning it will NOT teach you > > anything > > > about server administration. > > > > > > You can try a demo from the BuyCPanel.com website: > > > > > > http://www.buycpanel.com/screenshots.php > > > > > > Note I have nothing to do with these people or CPanel; I use a > competitor > > > product: DirectAdmin and additionally I run the largest independent > > support > > > company for DirectAdmin. DirectAdmin does NOT have resellers, and I do > > NOT > > > make money if anyone buys DirectAdmin. > > > > > > If you need any information about webhosting with or without either of > > these > > > products please feel free to contact me offlist. > > > > > > Jeff > > > -- > > > Jeff Lasman > > > Post Office Box 52200, Riverside, CA 92517 > > > Our jplists address used on lists is for list email only > > > Phone +1 909 266-9209, or see: " > http://www.nobaloney.net/contactus.html"; > > > _______________________________________________ > > > LinuxUsers mailing list > > > [email protected] > > > http://socallinux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linuxusers > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > LinuxUsers mailing list > > [email protected] > > http://socallinux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linuxusers > > > -------------- next part -------------- > An HTML attachment was scrubbed... > URL: < > http://socallinux.org/pipermail/linuxusers/attachments/20110218/1be4c457/attachment.htm > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > LinuxUsers mailing list > [email protected] > http://socallinux.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/linuxusers > > > End of LinuxUsers Digest, Vol 44, Issue 33 > ****************************************** >
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