AMI Types (EBI vs. Instance Store)

How are all AMIs categorized?

All AMIs are categorized as either backed by Amazon EBS or backed by instance store.

When you terminate an EBS volume or an instance store volume, what happens to the root volumes?

By default, when you terminate either an EBS volume or an instance store volume, the root volumes are deleted. However, with EBS volumes, you can tell AWS to keep the root device volume.

What is the difference between EBS volumes and instance store volumes?

For EBS volumes, the root device for an instance launched from the AMI is an Amazon EBS volume created from an Amazon EBS snapshot. For instance store volumes, the root device for an instance launched from the AMI is an instance store volume created from a template stored in Amazon S3.

Why are instance store volumes called ephemeral storage?

Instance store volumes are called ephemeral storage because if for some reason they're stopped, i.e. the underlying host fails, you will lose all of your data.

Can you attach additional instance store volumes after launching an instance?

No, you CANNOT attach additional instance store volumes after launching an instance.

What are the two different AMI types you can launch?

The two different types are EBS and instance store.

What are the two status checks for instances?

The two status checks for instances are system status checks and instance status checks.

When you select your AMI based on storage for the root device (root device volume), what are the two options you have?

When selecting AMI based on the root device volume, the two options you have are: 1. Instance store (ephemeral storage) 2. EBS-backed volumes

Can EBS volumes and instance store volumes be rebooted without loss of data?

Yes, both EBS volumes and instance store volumes can be rebooted without loss of data.

Can you attach additional EBS volumes after launching an instance?

Yes, you can attach additional EBS volumes after launching an instance.

What can you do to an instance store volume's state?

You can reboot or terminate an instance store volume's state, but you CANNOT start or stop it.

Can you see instance store volumes in the AWS console?

You can see the actual instance in the console, but you CANNOT see the instance store volume in the console, because it's not EBS-backed storage.

What are the five options you can use to select your AMI based on?

You can select your AMI based on: 1. Region 2. OS 3. Architecture (32-bit or 64-bit) 4. Launch permissions 5. Storage for the root device volume