Getting Started - Aaronearlerichardson/CMRIF_preprocess GitHub Wiki

Starting a Server

  1. Once you've logged in to your Cornell AWS account, open the services tab and click on "EC2"

Once you've logged in to your Corenll AWS account, open the services tab and click on "EC2

  1. Locate the "AMI" tab on the left and select it to access the Amazon Machine Image

Locate the "AMI" tab on the left and select it to access the Amazon Machine Image

  1. Select the image you want to start. If this is your first time or you are starting from scratch, select the "Base Image." Once selected, start the image by clicking launch in the actions tab.

Select the image you want to start. If this is your first time or you are starting from scratch, select the "Base Image." Once selected, start the image by clicking launch in the actions tab.

  1. Select your machine specifications to fit your needs. A detailed description of instance types and how to choose them can be found here. In short, either t2 or c instances tend to fit the best for faster preprocessing. It should also be noted that a memory (RAM) of less than 8 gigabytes is not recommended and less than 4 will not function whatsoever. In addition, every cpu you have will make the job finish that many times faster than if you didn't. A 4 cpu machine will work twice as fast as a 2 cpu one. When finished, advance to configure the instance details.

Select your machine specifications to fit your needs. A detailed description of instance types and how to choose them can be found here. In short, either t2 or c instances tend to fit the best for faster preprocessing. It should also be noted that a memory (RAM) of less than 8 gigabytes is not recommended and less than 4 will not function whatsoever. In addition, every cpu you have will make the job finish that many times faster than if you didn't. A 4 cpu machine will work twice as fast as a 2 cpu one. When finished, advance to configure the instance details.

  1. Select your IAM role. This step is important as an incorrect IAM role will lead to many different and seemingly unrelated errors (such as being unable to connect to the internet). If you have created another role for yourself and are sure how it works, use that instead. Move to the next step to configure storage.

Select your IAM role. This step is important as an incorrect IAM role will lead to many different and seemingly unrelated errors (such as being unable to connect to the internet). Move to the next step to configure storage.

  1. Select what storage size you would like in the ebs volume (Not the root volume on top). Remember that the included software takes up 31 gb of space so a volume of 40 gb only has 9 gb free. You may choose just about any type of storage, and may read more about the differences between them here. Make sure to check the delete when terminated box for the ebs volume, otherwise when you are finished using the instance you will leave behind an un-paired ebs volume. Finish the set up by clicking "Review and Launch."

Select what storage size you would like in the ebs volume (Not the root volume on top). Remember that the included software takes up 31 gb of space so a volume of 40 gb only has 9 gb free. You may choose just about any type of storage, and may read more about the differences between them here. Make sure to check the delete when terminated box for the ebs volume, otherwise when you are finished using the instance you will leave behind an un-paired ebs volume. Finish the set up by clicking "Review and Launch."

  1. Review the server you are starting and launch

Review the server you are starting and launch

  1. Choose and existing key pair and select the SWALLOW key (assuming you have the SWALLOW.pem file, if it is a different key, choose that). Finish up and launch. You can see the status of you

Choose and existing key pair and select the SWALLOW key (assuming you have the SWALLOW.pem file, if it is a different key, choose that). Finish up and launch.

  1. Congratulations, you've created your own instance! You can monitor its status next to "View Launch Log." The other link will show you several ways how to access the new instance. I suggest using ssh. To do so, you will need to know the location of your .pem file, ec2-username ("ubuntu" if using the shib-student IAM role), and Public DNS (which can be found listed in the first link). As a final note, when you enter in the ssh command to log in, be sure to add a "-X" flag at the end to allow displays such as fsleyes to be ported to your local machine.

Congratulations, you've created your own instance! You can monitor its status next to "View Launch Log." The other link will show you several ways how to access the new instance. I suggest using ssh. To do so, you will need to know the location of your .pem file, ec2-username ("ubuntu" if using the shib-student IAM role), and Public DNS (which can be found listed in the first link).

Using the Server

Upon logging in you should see both a copy of this repository and an "ebs" folder. That folder is the mounted EBS drive with the installed software. The repo contains three python scripts and one bash script that gives an example of how to use them. This wiki lists usage for all three scripts.