EBS volume as root volume for instance

Wed Jun 18, 2014 8:43 pm

Is there a way that we can set an EBS volume as the root volume for the instances to be launched. I need to stop/start my instances and not need to re-install / reconfigure the OS every time by launching a new HPCC cluster. I want to launch once and stop when I do not need, resume back when needed.
Also wanted to check if I can change the type of instances (currently they m1.large is launched).

Thu Jun 19, 2014 1:54 pm

I ask one of our CLOUD experts about your question. He said that "We cannot set an EBS volume as the root volume."

We have considered providing the capability to stop a cluster and have a snapshot of its current state saved so that later you can restart the cluster where you previously stopped it.

But, currently we don't have that capability.

Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:06 pm

I stand corrected about setting an EBS volume as the root volume. A colleague of mine showed me the following link: http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/RootDeviceStorage.html, which says an EBS volume can be a root volume.

But, currently our Instant Cloud doesn't use EBS.

Thu Jun 19, 2014 2:10 pm

Thank you. Yes, I know that in general you could set an EBS volume as your instance's root. I just wanted to see if your Cloud setup script on AWS supports that or not. I still can attach my volume to the instance, which is helpful, but I need to re-install all other software that I need, every time I come back, since I need to terminate the cluster and not able to stop/restart it.

Wed Jun 25, 2014 3:07 pm

I'm starting to learn how to use juju charm to setup an HPCC System on AWS. This is possible and it gives you more flexibility. So, if you want your root volume EBS. There is a learning curve (see https://jujucharms.com/). Also, there is a setup procedure on github (https://github.com/hpcc-systems/HPCC-Platform) for setting up juju charm on linux box. And, there is a step-by-step procedure in the readme.md file of the charm folder.