EC2 Command line and Unix Commands reference

This blog assumes the user is already familiar with Amazon EC2, this is just a quick reference guide.

EC2 Commad Line API Tools

• ec2-describe-images -x all : to display all available ec2 images
• ec2-add-key mb-keypair : generates a keypair which will be instead of a root password
• ec2-run-instances ami-a9fe1bc0 -k mbkeypair starts running a EC2 Instance, this is when billing starts
• ec2-authorize default -p 22 : opens up the port 22 for ssh, similary 80 for port 80
• ec2-describe-instances : displays list of ec2 instances running
• ec2-terminate-instances ami-a9fe1bc0 : terminates a ec2 running instances. This is where billing ends

More Summary cheat sheet for EC2 click here
Unix Comands to Run Apache , Tomcat and Deploy war files

PUTTY Tools
Putty is a client program for SSH, Telnet and Rlogin Protocols used to run remote sessions over a network.
SSH protocol allows to remote login to a system, unlike telnet SSH encrypts the login session, making it impossible for intruders to collect clear text passwords.In short SSH, ecrypts everything it sends and recieves.
SSH-keygen
SSH is often required to login to remote systems without requiring passowrd. ssh-keygen is used to generate that key pair for you.

SSH uses public key cryptography to secure transactions and data exchange. Public key cryptography consists of a set of two keys: a public key-private key pair. A public key or a private key is a complex algorithm. The keys are:

• Public key: A key that is distributed publicly to other parties and partners to access data without compromising security. It is used to decrypt data.

• Private key: Used to generate messages. It is used to encrypt data. Access to the private key is possible only for authentic users who have the rights to initiate the data exchange

To learn about sshkeys click here


Grails Plugin

Screencast on Grails EC2 Plugin by Chris Richardson
A very good EC2 Presentation by Chris Richardson