Amazon Compute - EC2 and Related Services

Transcription

1 Amazon Compute - EC2 and Related Services G-Cloud Service 1

2 1.An overview of the G-Cloud Service Arcus Global are approved to sell to the UK Public Sector as official Amazon Web Services resellers. Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) is a web service that provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud. It is designed to make web-scale computing easier for developers. Amazon EC2 s simple web service interface allows you to obtain and configure capacity with minimal friction. It provides you with complete control of your computing resources and lets you run on Amazon s proven computing environment. Amazon EC2 reduces the time required to obtain and boot new server instances to minutes, allowing you to quickly scale capacity, both up and down, as your computing requirements change. Amazon EC2 changes the economics of computing by allowing you to pay only for capacity that you actually use. Amazon EC2 provides developers the tools to build failure resilient applications and isolate themselves from common failure scenarios. Amazon EC2 Functionality Amazon EC2 presents a true virtual computing environment, allowing you to use web service interfaces to launch instances with a variety of operating systems, load them with your custom application environment, manage your network s access permissions, and run your image using as many or few systems as you desire. To use Amazon EC2, you simply: Select a pre-configured, templated Amazon Machine Image (AMI) to get up and running immediately. Or create an AMI containing your applications, libraries, data, and associated configuration settings. Configure security and network access on your Amazon EC2 instance. Choose which instance type(s) you want, then start, terminate, and monitor as many instances of your AMI as needed, using the web service APIs or the variety of management tools provided. Determine whether you want to run in multiple locations, utilize static IP endpoints, or attach persistent block storage to your instances. Pay only for the resources that you actually consume, like instance-hours or data transfer. Additional Service Functionality Auto Scaling Auto Scaling allows you to automatically scale your Amazon EC2 2

3 capacity up or down according to conditions you define. With Auto Scaling, you can ensure that the number of Amazon EC2 instances you re using scales up seamlessly during demand spikes to maintain performance, and scales down automatically during demand lulls to minimize costs. Auto Scaling is particularly well suited for applications that experience hourly, daily, or weekly variability in usage. Auto Scaling is enabled by Amazon CloudWatch and available at no additional charge beyond Amazon CloudWatch fees. See Auto Scaling for more details. Elastic Load Balancing Elastic Load Balancing automatically distributes incoming application traffic across multiple Amazon EC2 instances. It enables you to achieve even greater fault tolerance in your applications, seamlessly providing the amount of load balancing capacity needed in response to incoming application traffic. Elastic Load Balancing detects unhealthy instances within a pool and automatically reroutes traffic to healthy instances until the unhealthy instances have been restored. You can enable Elastic Load Balancing within a single Availability Zone or across multiple zones for even more consistent application performance. Amazon CloudWatch can be used to capture a specific Elastic Load Balancer s operational metrics, such as request count and request latency, at no additional cost beyond Elastic Load Balancing fees. See Elastic Load Balancing for more details. Amazon Elastic Block Store Amazon Elastic Block Store (EBS) offers persistent storage for Amazon EC2 instances. Amazon EBS volumes are network-attached, and persist independently from the life of an instance. Amazon EBS volumes are highly available, highly reliable volumes that can be leveraged as an Amazon EC2 instance s boot partition or attached to a running Amazon EC2 instance as a standard block device. When used as a boot partition, Amazon EC2 instances can be stopped and subsequently restarted, enabling you to only pay for the storage resources used while maintaining your instance s state. Amazon EBS volumes offer greatly improved durability over local Amazon EC2 instance stores, as Amazon EBS volumes are automatically replicated on the backend (in a single Availability Zone). For those wanting even more durability, Amazon EBS provides the ability to create point-in-time consistent snapshots of your volumes that are then stored in Amazon S3, and automatically replicated across multiple Availability Zones. These snapshots can be used as the starting point for new Amazon EBS volumes, and can protect your data for long term durability. You can also easily share these snapshots with co-workers and other AWS developers. Amazon EBS provides two volume types: Standard volumes and Provisioned IOPS volumes. Standard volumes offer cost effective storage that is ideal for applications with moderate or bursty I/O requirements. Provisioned IOPS volumes are designed to deliver predictable, high performance for I/O intensive applications such as databases. See Amazon Elastic Block Store for more details. 3

4 For further information on EC2 please go to 2.Information assurance The service is designed for IL0 and IL1/2 data. Amazon Web Services is ISO27001 certified. Arcus Global is ISO27001 certified. 3.Backup/restore and disaster recovery Customer are responsible for their own data, however using the tools provided by AWS data can be quickly and efficiently backed up. All backups can be quickly restored using the AWS console. All AWS services can be deployed in a highly available, durable design that minimises the potential for disaster scenarios to extremely low levels. This level of design and solution architecture can be provided by Arcus Global through our Lot 4 consulting services. With respect to the underlying AWS infrastructure, the details of their internal processes around backup, restore and disaster recovery procedures are confidential - however information relating to the internal processes within AWS can be found in the following PDF document: 4.On-boarding and Off-boarding processes/scope etc. On-boarding Arcus uses a three-phase approach to the on-boarding process. This process has been developed internally but also utilises best practice techniques from a number of industries. The result is a robust, agile and rapid approach to implementations, irrespective of the underlying technologies. Data migration into the new environment is achieved using matured and supported techniques appropriate to the technology in question. Taking this approach ensures that we concentrate on issues that affect the 4

5 business rather than being distracted by technical complexities of the process. The three phases are categorised as follows: 1. The Discovery phase allows both parties to explore and document the current landscape and prepare for a controlled pilot deployment as the second phase. Artefacts from each discipline within this phase provide supporting documentation for approval / sign-off to move to the next stage. 2. The Pilot phase is a controlled test of a subset of the new implementation using a carefully-selected pilot user base. Controlled tests are carried out against the test plan created and approved in the Discovery phase. Output from this second phase provides supporting documentation for approval / sign-off to progress to the final Deployment phase. Should approval not be achieved, a reverse process will be undertaken to revert to the configuration as documented at the end of the Discovery phase. This, essentially, is an abstraction of the generic off-boarding process outlined later in this document. 3. The Deployment phase is ostensibly a duplication of the Pilot phase to the entire organisation, with additional training, hands-on support and guidance for Service Desk staff. After an agreed period, artefacts from each discipline are used as documentation for the project as a whole. Off-boarding Ostensibly the off-boarding process uses techniques from the above on-boarding steps in reverse order so the approach to the entire activity is familiar to the customer. Additional steps will be introduced as required. 5.Service management details Technical Boundaries Amazon Web Services (AWS) deliver cloud computing services on a global scale from a number of data centres located around the world. There are 9 global Regions, each region comprises a number of individual sub units known as Availability Zones. In the case of all of our AWS G-Cloud services, only the EU (Ireland) region will be used. This ensures all data shall be held within the EU geographical region ONLY. 5

6 This EU region currently comprises 3 separate availability zones (AZ), and each AZ provides the same services as the other AZs in the same region. This design means all services are multiply redundant within the region ensuring, providing good cloud architecture principles are followed, service delivery is fault tolerant, highly available and elastic. The technical boundary for all AWS services is usually defined as the services operating in the entire region. Anything external to the region, including delivery of services to customers corporate networks via internet connections, public or VPN based, is beyond the technical boundary of AWS services. The limitation of the region based technical boundary is that systems using AWS services must be architected around multiple AZ s. In the case that it is not, such as a test or development environment, the technical boundary shall be at the single AZ level. Data extraction/removal Data can be extracted and removed from all AWS services. The exact mechanism is dependant on the specific service used e.g. http transfers, RDP session, sftp, database connection etc. 6

7 The customer will always have access and control of their data with no imposed limits on retrieval and deletion. Arcus offer full services to assist with any data extraction or removal process as may be required by the customer. Data location In the case of all G-Cloud offered services, only the EU region will be used - the EU(Ireland) region. This ensures all data shall be held within the EU geographical region ONLY. Safe Harbour All data will be held in compliance with EU Safe Harbour Legislation. Data centre tier All AWS data centres are built to a confidential AWS specific design. They are designed to provide redundancy and availability that meets or exceeds current standards. The exact specifications are proprietary and confidential to AWS. AWS also do not subscribe to the definitions of either TIA-942 or the Uptime institute. Backup and Disaster Recovery See section 3. Monitoring Services within the AWS are always internally monitored by AWS and a general health page for all services, globally, can be viewed at: In addition to this, individual services can be monitored at a more granular level. This is available through the CloudWatch service, which is also available through the specific service offering. Support Boundary AWS fully support their own internal services and systems architecture, thereby ensuring continuous delivery to end customers. In the event of problems or issues 7

8 arising with AWS services there are 2 support offerings available to the end customer: AWS Support Arcus Service and Support with AWS Support In the case of AWS Support, the support boundary is clearly defined as the AWS service(s) e.g. EC2. In the event of a problem with the AWS service(s), customers can initiate support tickets directly with AWS to resolve specific issues. This however does not include support for any customer installed applications or systems running on top of AWS services. With Arcus Service and Support with AWS Support, the customer will have access to Arcus internal support desk in order to initiate support requests. In the event that these require further support from AWS, Arcus will be responsible for initiating the support contact with AWS and managing the overall customer relationship. However, in addition to the AWS service and infrastructure support Arcus can provide a level of application support and service management processes e.g. automated backup management etc. to further support a customer deployment. Infrastructure AWS are responsible for the infrastructure deployed within their AZs and the associated connectivity between them. The underlying infrastructure is required in order to provide the customer with the services that are required and therefore entirely managed by AWS as part of their service model. 6.Service constraints Live service status can be seen here: 7.Service Levels Telephone Support All of our support contracts include telephone support during normal office hours, providing access to our support team regarding any problems you may encounter with the solution detailed in the support schedule. /Ticket Support 8

9 All of our support contracts include access to the support and ticketing systems during normal office hours, which provide access to our support team regarding any problems you may encounter with the solution detailed in the support schedule. Remote Access Support Given the hosted nature of the system, we will always attempt to resolve your problem remotely, therefore saving your time on the phone or travelling to site. Charges may be levied for this service at a pre-agreed rate if the work to be undertaken is of an administration or new configuration nature. On-site support In rare cases, on-site support may be required to resolved issues that are particular to the local environment. Issues requiring on-site support presence will be charged at the specified rate. Support Procedures To log a call with our support team simply use one of the following methods to contact us: Dedicated support hotline telephone number Dedicated support address (automatic ticket generation) 8.Financial recompense model for not meeting service levels It is always the aim of Arcus and our technology partners to do everything possible to minimise disruption to services. As we deliver a number of cloud services across multiple lots, our SLAs and applicable compensation varies depending on the service consumed. Arcus operates a robust model for compensating clients where our products fail to meet agreed SLAs. Our policy is to credit the customer with 1 month of free service for all affected accounts. Affected accounts are only those instances of a service that have been accessed (or attempted to be accessed) during the outage period. Where the service is charged at a set price for the entire organisation, 1 month s charge will be credited. The above credit is the sole remedy for any outage of the G-Cloud service beyond that 9

10 set within the SLA. Where a service is supported by a 3rd party that may offer additional benefits, Arcus will make this clear to the Client within this document. 9.Training In all client engagements Arcus places a high value on enabling effective knowledge transfer between ourselves and our clients. In the case of AWS services the emphasis on training may, however, be significantly reduced. Arcus offer the ability to procure AWS services, and these services will often utilise technologies that a client is already familiar with. An example of this is the EC2 service which provides cloud servers that can be running Windows Server 2008R2 or Windows Server 2012 and can be accessed and managed by existing internal client ICT resources without the need for additional training. Other services such as the Relational Database Service (RDS) can be accessed and managed using existing tools such as the SQLServer Management Studio. Additionally Arcus can supply and manage these services as turnkey resources thereby limiting the customers requirement for understanding the mechanisms for deployment within the AWS environment. If, however, a customer wishes to have full access to the underlying AWS management tools, Arcus is happy to implement a system of training the trainers within client organisations, often as a precursor to or in conjunction with running pilots. This approach ensures that well in advance of any new system going live, the client organisation has a body of staff who are experienced and confident with the system and have the learning resources available to train and support new users. In addition, AWS provides a vast library of documentation, tools and self-study material. This includes articles and tutorials, FAQs, detailed product information, case studies, developer tools, release notes and sample code libraries. This material is updated regularly and provided free of charge on the AWS website. In addition, AWS partners provide training. Please see the following links for additional information

11 10. Ordering and invoicing process The ordering process is done via the relevant web and forms that will be processed to an agreed SLA (service dependent). Cancellation of accounts or cessation of service is done using the same route. If the client uses more than one service, we will make a web portal available to consolidate the process for multiple services. 11. Termination terms Arcus services are subject to simple and unambiguous termination terms: By consumers (i.e. consumption) Services are procured on a recurring monthly or annual basis, and therefore termination requests have to be issued at least 20 working days prior to the start of the following billing period, whether monthly or annually. Arcus will typically process all termination requests within 2 working days and acknowledge the termination of the contract. In all cases, the client will be liable for full payment of services upto the date of termination. Data and other exports will be arranged separately in accordance with the terms for each service contained in this document. By the Supplier (removal of the G-Cloud Service) The G-Cloud termination terms are agreed within the framework agreement. In general, all services purchased under this framework can continue to be supplied to consumers should the framework be withdrawn by the Supplier. 12. Data restoration / service migration 11

12 Data can be migrated into and out of AWS services using a standard set of interfaces and APIs. Each service will have specific data interfaces e.g. database endpoints for MSSQL or APIs (e.g. SOAP/REST) for interacting with the services directly. Certain IaaS services, e.g. EC2, can have additional software installed within the virtual server to allow sftp transfers thereby widening the data migration possibilities - both in and outbound. The selection of which tools are best to use is based on the requirements of the task and the type of data to be processed. In either case Arcus can provide full support in order to ensure the appropriate tools are used. 13. Consumer responsibilities Arcus places a high priority on making the on-boarding process as easy and painless as possible for our customers. We have a well-defined implementation process that takes our customers from the point of purchase to a fully implemented system. Arcus always aims to minimise the amount of resource required on the customer side, but depending on specific requirements or complexities in the local ICT environment, some customer involvement is to be expected. To ensure a smooth implementation, Arcus assumes the following to be responsibilities of the customer during the software implementation process: Making available the necessary resources to assist in the implementation process where necessary. Scheduling any necessary meetings and workshops in a timely fashion. Ensuring adequate network connectivity and bandwidth for the service are available for the end users. Configuring firewalls and other internal ICT equipment in accordance with the solution requirements. Arcus will provide detailed guidance to assist with the configuration. Ensuring adequate browser versions are available to the end user as per the system s technical requirements. Ensuring all other hardware and software prerequisites are met prior to implementation. Assisting with integration to any third party systems that are required as part of the full solution. 12

13 14. Technical requirements In the case of all cloud services internet connectivity is a requirement. This is solely the responsibility of the customer. Bandwidth performance and utilisation on the customer corporate network is also entirely the responsibility of the customer. Utilisation will depend on the specific applications in use and this will be dictated by the customer. Data transfer out of the AWS environment will generate costs as outlined in the Prices section of this document. The EC2 service provides cloud server instances which can be accessed using standard tools: Remote Desktop Connection Client (Windows Servers) SSH (Linux servers) In addition to this, other applications or protocols running on these servers may require the use of additional software e.g. HTTP servers will be accessed via an Internet browser, FTP servers will require the use of an FTP client etc. 15. Details of any trial service available There are no specific trials available for this service, however a Free-Tier does exist which provides a very low service level with which to experiment. The free tier allowances can be found on the specific service web pages. These can be found at the start of this document or by going to and searching for Free Tier. In addition, this service can be provisioned in an on-demand fashion which means that demonstration environments can be created and shut down very rapidly and very cost effectively. 13