Duplicating AWS EC2 Instance

Question

I've followed these instructions to duplicate an AWS, EBS-backed EC2 instance and I'm running into a snag.

This is exactly what I've done:

1. Created an AMI from the original instance (instance panel: actions>create image)

2. Launched the AMI as instance using the current keys (AMI panel: launch)

3. Created a new elastic IP and associated it with the new instance.

Problem: Everything seems fine but I lost connection to the original instance. I ran trace routes for the original IP and it's dropping when it reaches amazon. It doesn't seem to exist despite that it is showing in my panel, associated with the original instance and likewise, the original instance points to the correct IP address.

To trouble shoot, I have now:

1. Deleted the new AMI

2. Deleted the new instances

No change. What am I doing wrong? How do I properly duplicate an instance that I can then point to a different IP?

Thank you,

J

Answer 1

It seems that you did nothing wrong when setting up a new instance.

I don't know what you had in that instance, but one idea I have is that when you create an AMI from an instance, the default behavior of AWS is to reboot the instance:

Amazon EC2 powers down the instance before creating the AMI to ensure that everything on the instance is stopped and in a consistent state during the creation process. If you're confident that your instance is in a consistent state appropriate for AMI creation, you can tell Amazon EC2 not to power down and reboot the instance. Some file systems, such as xfs, can freeze and unfreeze activity, making it safe to create the image without rebooting the instance.

Maybe your web-server does not start on system start-up?