Amazon API Gateway – Build and Run Scalable Application Backends | AWS Official Blog https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/amazon-api-gateway-build-and-run-scalable-application-backends/
The New M4 Instance Type (Bonus: Price Reduction on M3 & C4) | AWS Official Blog
The New M4 Instance Type (Bonus: Price Reduction on M3 & C4) | AWS Official Blog https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/the-new-m4-instance-type-bonus-price-reduction-on-m3-c4/
AWS EC2 instances and the coming leap second
Each EC2 instance has its own clock and is fully under your control; AWS does not manage instance clocks. An instance clock can be affected by many factors. Depending on these factors, it may implement or skip the leap second. It may also be isolated and not synchronize to an external time system. If you need your EC2 instance clocks to be predictable, you can use NTP to synchronize your clocks to time servers of your choice. For more information about how to synchronize clocks, see the following documentation:
- Instances using Amazon Linux AMIs: Setting the Time for Your Linux Instance.
- Instances using Amazon-provided Microsoft Windows AMIs: Setting the Time for a Windows Instance.
- Instances using other AMIs: Please contact your AMI provider (the information in the preceding bullet points may also be helpful).
Adding the leap second is currently the standard practice. If you use public time servers, like time servers from ntp.org (the default for Amazon Linux AMIs) or time.windows.com (the default for Amazon Windows AMIs), your instance will see the leap second unless these synchronization services announce a different practice.
Source: Look Before You Leap – The Coming Leap Second and AWS | AWS Official Blog
A reminder to check how (y)our EC2 instances are going to deal with this before it happens at the end of June.
New – Cross-Account Access in the AWS Management Console | AWS Official Blog
New – Cross-Account Access in the AWS Management Console | AWS Official Blog https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/new-cross-account-access-in-the-aws-management-console/
Try AWS Key Management Service for more security in the cloud
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a managed service that makes it easy for you to create and control the encryption keys used to encrypt your data, and uses Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) to protect the security of your keys. AWS Key Management Service is integrated with other AWS services including Amazon EBS, Amazon S3, Amazon RDS, Amazon Redshift, Amazon Elastic Transcoder, and Amazon WorkMail. AWS Key Management Service is also integrated with AWS CloudTrail to provide you with logs of all key usage to help meet your regulatory and compliance needs.
Looks like something we should be taking advantage of to manage or keys.
Amazon Web Services Makes Amazon Machine Learning Available
Amazon Machine Learning is a service that makes it easy for developers of all skill levels to use machine learning technology. Amazon Machine Learning provides visualization tools and wizards that guide you through the process of creating machine learning (ML) models without having to learn complex ML algorithms and technology. Once your models are ready, Amazon Machine Learning makes it easy to get predictions for your application using simple APIs, without having to implement custom prediction generation code, or manage any infrastructure.
Amazon Machine Learning http://aws.amazon.com/machine-learning/
This is intriguing. I wonder what might happen if I throw 4.5 million state court opinions in there. I’d like to be able to sort them by round topics. I think I’ll take a look.
From AWS: Hue – A Web User Interface for Analyzing Data With Elastic MapReduce. https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/aws/hue-web-ui-for-emr/
Store and Monitor OS & Application Log Files with Amazon CloudWatch
Today we are introducing a powerful new log storage and monitoring feature for Amazon CloudWatch. You can now route your operating system, application, and custom log files to CloudWatch, where they will be stored in durable fashion for as long as you’d like. You can also configure CloudWatch to monitor the incoming log entries for any desired symbols or messages and to surface the results as CloudWatch metrics. You could, for example, monitor your web server’s log files for 404 errors to detect bad inbound links or 503 errors to detect a possible overload condition. You could monitor your Linux server log files to detect resource depletion issues such as a lack of swap space or file descriptors. You can even use the metrics to raise alarms or to initiate Auto Scaling activities.
via Store and Monitor OS & Application Log Files with Amazon CloudWatch.
AWS Announces General Availability of Amazon WorkSpaces
Amazon WorkSpaces is a fully managed desktop computing service in the cloud. Amazon WorkSpaces allows customers to easily provision cloud-based desktops that allow end-users to access the documents, applications and resources they need with the device of their choice, including laptops, iPad, Kindle Fire, or Android tablets. With a few clicks in the AWS Management Console, customers can provision a high-quality desktop experience for any number of users at a cost that is highly competitive with traditional desktops and half the cost of most virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) solutions.
Now we’re getting somewhere. Amazon Workspaces promises to deliver a full Windows 7 desktop experience to practically any device1» . Workspaces offers standard and performance bundles that vary in hardware resources and allow you to bring your own licenses for things like Microsoft Office. The standard plus and performance plus bundles add Office 2010 and other utilities. Pricing starts at $35 per month per desktop for the standard bundle.This services provides a number of opportunities for law school IT departments. Faculty and student desktops could be provisioned with specific software and made available to faculty and students anywhere, anytime, on most devices. Think about that for a second. A consistent, edu-centered learning machine available in the classroom, in the library, or in Starbucks. Sounds very cool to me.
The same notions go for law practice. Consistent desktops and applications available to every lawyer, everywhere, in secure environment. Just make the tools part of the background instead of the focus.
It will be interesting to see where this goes. I recommend this blog article on the AWS blog for a quick start guide.
A cursory read through of the various blog posts and announcements indicates that there are desktop clients for Mac and Windows (yes, run a virtual Win7 desktop on your Mac) and mobile clients for Kindle Fire, Android and iOS. No mention of Linux desktops.Powered by Hackadelic Sliding Notes 1.6.5
Amazon Web Services Launches City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge
Cloud computing can help local governments to spur economic development, expand citizen services, and break through siloed bureaucracy by providing innovative & scalable services without wasting taxpayer funds on expensive and inflexible hardware infrastructure.
We’ve already seen a lot of amazing work, including GIS applications, emergency preparedness and response, open access to data, mobile applications, and more.
Our new City on a Cloud Innovation challenge is designed to recognize and reward the technologists responsible for putting the cloud to use for the benefit of local governments in eligible countries around the world.
via Amazon Web Services Blog: City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge.
Prizes totaling $250,000 in AWS credits will be awarded to winners in best practices in local government and application developer partners in innovation categories.
Sounds like a great opportunity for recognition of folks working to make local government better. Get all the details on the City on a Cloud Innovation Challenge page.