Virtual Servers-Related Questions And Answers To Ace Your AWS Interview

Introduction

In AWS, virtual servers, also known as EC2 instances, are like flexible building blocks of computing power in the cloud. They let you quickly launch and manage servers according to your needs without worrying about physical hardware limitations. With EC2, you can choose from different instances tailored to handle tasks like computing, memory, or storage. 

EC2 instances are the backbone of many applications and services in AWS, playing a vital role in keeping operations running smoothly. Read on to learn more about Virtual Servers, and it can help you ace your AWS interview with these 13 Interview Q&A!

Q1: What Are Some Common Scenarios Where a Virtual Server Proves Beneficial?

Ans: Virtual servers find widespread utility in various situations, such as hosting web applications, running enterprise applications, and handling data transformation or analysis tasks. Whether it's ensuring a seamless online presence, managing complex business applications, or processing and understanding data intricacies, virtual servers play a pivotal role in meeting these diverse needs. Their adaptability across these typical use cases underscores their significance in modern computing.

Q2: What Is Your Virtual Server's Foundation, and Where Do These Come from in The Aws Ecosystem?

Ans: The starting point for your virtual server in AWS is an AMI (Amazon Machine Image). AWS provides a variety of AMIs, including the Amazon Linux AMI, tailored for EC2 use and Linux distributions, and AMIs featuring Microsoft Windows Server. Additionally, third-party providers and the community contribute to the AMI pool. The AWS Marketplace extends options by offering AMIs preloaded with third-party software, allowing users to choose preconfigured setups that suit their needs.

Q3: What Exactly Is a Virtual Server, and How Does It Work Within a Physical Server?

Ans: A virtual server is like a private section of a physical server, set apart by software to operate independently from other virtual servers on the same physical machine. It has its CPUs, memory, networking interfaces, and storage. 

The central server is the host server, and the individual virtual servers are guests. To ensure each guest operates separately and efficiently, a hypervisor takes charge, handling the distribution of requests to the underlying hardware.

Q4: What Exactly Is a Virtual Appliance in the Context of Aws, and How Does It Function?

Ans: In AWS, a virtual appliance refers to an image encompassing an operating system and preconfigured software, designed to operate within a hypervisor environment. The hypervisor is responsible for executing one or more virtual appliances. Notably, virtual appliances maintain a fixed state, ensuring consistent outcomes each time they are initiated. 

This predictability allows for easy replication, reducing the need for repetitive installation and configuration of intricate software stacks. Widely employed by virtualization tools from VMware, Microsoft, and Oracle, virtual appliances also find utility in cloud-based infrastructure-as-a-service offerings.

Q5: How Can You View The Logs of Your Virtual Server on Aws, Especially During and After Startup?

Ans: AWS offers a straightforward method to access your virtual server's logs through the Management Console, the web interface for managing virtual servers. To view logs:

• Navigate to the EC2 service in the main menu and select Instances.
• Click on the running virtual server in the table.
• In the Actions menu, go to Instance Settings > Get System Log.

This opens a window displaying the system logs from your virtual server, akin to what you see on a physical monitor during startup. It's a convenient way to review server activity without requiring an SSH connection, though note that log messages may take several minutes to appear in the log viewer.

Q6: How Can I Use Elastic Ip Addresses in Aws to Allocate a Fixed Public IP to My Virtual Web Server?

Ans: Follow these steps:

• Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service.
• Select Elastic IPs from the submenu to provide an overview of public IP addresses.
• Click Allocate New Address to assign a public IP.

To Associate this Public IP with Your Virtual Server:

• Choose the public IP address and opt for Associate Address in the Actions menu, triggering a dialog box.
• Enter your virtual server’s instance ID in the Instance field. Utilize auto-completion by typing the server ID (starting with "i-").
• Click Associate to complete the process. Your virtual web server now has a fixed public IP address.

Q7: How Can I Manage The State of My Virtual Server on Aws and Avoid Unnecessary Charges?

Ans: Controlling the state of your virtual server on AWS involves four essential actions:

• Start: Always an option for a stopped virtual server. If you're creating a new server, launching is necessary.
• Stop: You can halt a running virtual server anytime. It incurs no charges when stopped, and data, especially on network-attached storage, persists. Charges may apply to the attached resources.
• Reboot: Do you need a virtual server restart? This action retains all data and installed software, ensuring a smooth reboot without data loss.
• Terminate: This means deleting a virtual server, including dependencies like network-attached storage and IP addresses. Once terminated, no charges apply, but remember, you can't restart a terminated virtual server.

These actions offer flexibility in managing server usage and expenses.

Q8: How Can I Adjust the Size of My Virtual Server on Aws and Take Advantage of Cloud Scalability?

Ans: Altering the size of a virtual server in the cloud is a crucial benefit, enabling vertical scaling for increased computing power. To change the size of a running virtual server, follow these steps:

• Open the AWS Management Console and access the EC2 service.
• Initiate the wizard by clicking the Launch Instance button.
• Choose Ubuntu Server 14.04 LTS (HVM) as your virtual server's AMI.
• Opt, for instance, type t2.micro.
• Click Review and Launch to commence the virtual server.
• Review the summary and click Launch.
• Select an Existing Key Pair, pick the key pair (e.g., mykey), and launch instances.
• Navigate to the EC2 instances overview, waiting for the new virtual server's state to switch to Running.

This process empowers you to adapt your server's size as needed, providing flexibility and scalability in the cloud.

Q9: How Can I Increase The Size of My Aws Virtual Server, and What Steps Are Involved?

Ans: To upscale your virtual server, follow these steps:

• Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service.
• Jump to your virtual servers' overview by clicking Instances in the submenu.
• Select your running virtual server from the list.
• In the Actions menu, choose Instance State > Stop.

Once the server has stopped:

• Choose Change Instance Type from the Actions menu under Instance Settings.
• Select the new instance type in the open dialog, e.g., m3.large.
• Save changes by clicking Apply.
• Your virtual server's size is now updated, and you're ready to restart it. This process allows you to adapt computing resources to your evolving needs on AWS.

Q10: How Do I Initiate and Start a Virtual Server on Aws in The Sydney Data Center?

Ans: Follow these straightforward steps:

• Open the EC2 service from the main menu and choose Instances.
• Click Launch Instance to begin the setup wizard for creating a new virtual server.
• Choose the Amazon Linux AMI (HVM) machine image.
• Opt for t2.micro as the instance type, then click Review and Launch for a quick start.
• Edit Security Groups to configure the firewall. Change the Security Group Name to 'webserver' and the description to 'HTTP and SSH.' Add rules for SSH and HTTP, allowing access from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0). Click Review and Launch.
• Click Launch, choose 'Sydney' as the existing key pair, and confirm by clicking View Instances.
• Transition to the virtual servers overview and patiently wait for your new virtual server to start.

Q11: How Can I Add an Extra Network Interface to My Virtual Server on Aws, Specifically to Connect a Second Public Ip Address to My Web Server?

Ans: Follow these steps:

• Open the AWS Management Console and navigate to the EC2 service.
• Choose Network Interfaces from the submenu.
• Click Create Network Interface, prompting a dialog to appear.
• Enter "2nd interface" as the description.

For configuration:

• Choose your virtual server’s subnet as the subnet for the new network interface, found in your server’s details view from the instance overview.
• Leave Private IP Address blank.
• Select the Security Groups with "webserver" in their description.
• Confirm by clicking Yes, Create.

By following these steps, you can seamlessly add a network interface to your virtual server, facilitating the connection of a second public IP address to your web server.

Q12: What Does Reserving a Virtual Server on Aws Entail, and What Are The Available Options?

Ans: Reserving a virtual server on AWS involves committing to using a specific server in a particular data center, with payment required whether it's actively running or not. The upside is a price reduction of up to 60%. AWS offers three options for reserving a virtual server:

• No Upfront, 1-year term: Pay for the reserved virtual server over one year without an upfront payment.
• Partial Upfront, 1-year or 3-year term: Make a partial upfront payment for the reserved virtual server, choosing a one-year or three-year term.
• All Upfront, 1-year or 3-year term: Pay the entire cost upfront for the reserved virtual server, available for one-year or three-year terms.

Each option provides a cost-effective way to secure and optimize your virtual server usage on AWS.

Q13: I Can See New Networking Interfaces After Connecting to My Virtual Server Through SSH and Using Ifconfig in the Terminal.

Ans: Upon executing "ifconfig" in the terminal, the output reveals information about the networking interfaces. Here's an example code snippet:

$ ifconfig
eth0 Link encap: Ethernet HWaddr 12:C7:53:81:90:86
inet addr:172.31.1.208 Bcast:172.30.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
[...]
eth1 Link encap:Ethernet HWaddr 12:77:12:53:39:7B
inet addr:172.31.4.197 Bcast:172.30.0.255 Mask:255.255.255.0
[...]

• The MAC address (HWaddr).
• Private IP address (inet addr).
• Broadcast address (Bcast).
• Subnet mask (Mask) for each interface.

You can rely on the private IP addresses to differentiate between them. Note that your virtual server may not know its public IP addresses, but you can distinguish requests based on the private IP addresses when configuring the webserver to serve different websites.

Conclusion

JanBask Training offers AWS Courses that simplify the complexities and empower individuals with the skills needed to proficiently navigate AWS services, including EC2. Through easy-to-follow modules and hands-on training, participants gain a solid grasp of virtual server management, optimizing cost-effective solutions, and maximizing flexibility within AWS.