Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server FAQs

General

Billing

Hardware Information

Auto Scaling

Reserved Instances

Spot Instances

Micro Instances

Cluster Compute and Cluster GPU Instances

Support

Amazon DevPay

Find more answers in Amazon EC2 Technical FAQs

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General

Q: What is Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server provides customers the ability to run applications that have been built using SUSE Linux Enterprise Server on-demand in Amazon EC2. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and the cloud application leveraging the Amazon EC2 image format and can be deployed within a couple of minutes. These images include SUSE Linux Enterprise Server basic subscription and can be easily updated directly from servers running in EC2. Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server combines the stability of an enterprise Linux distribution with the web-scale computing flexibility of Amazon EC2.

Q: Is there any difference between Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server and the version of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server I can run in my data center?

No, the two versions are functionally identical, with the exception that Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server automatically receives updates from servers in Amazon EC2.

Q: Do I need to register Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server with the Novell Customer Center to receive updates and maintenance?

No, all instances of Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server automatically register with update servers that are running in Amazon EC2. These servers are updated at the same time as the update servers in NCC. There are no charges for receiving updates from the servers in Amazon EC2.

Q: I have subscriptions for SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Can I use those instead of purchasing Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

No. At this time only Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is supported in the Amazon EC2 cloud.

Q: What can I do with Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server enables you to easily deploy your applications to the cloud by taking advantage of all of the capabilities and features available in Amazon EC2. Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is identical to the versions of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server available for installation on physical hardware and is ready to support all enterprise workloads. .

Q: How can I run Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

From the EC2 tab on the AMS Management Console, when you click “Launch Instance”, the SLES AMIs will be shown on the “Request Instances Wizard.” Once you select an instance, you can choose the details including instance type and availability zone.

Q: What can customers now do that they could not before?

Customers can move existing enterprise applications that are running on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in their data centers into Amazon EC2 and receive the same level of support. Additionally, all of the more than 6,000 ISV partner applications that have been certified on SUSE Linux Enterprise Server can be deployed.

Q: How do I configure SUSE Linux Enterprise systems in the Amazon EC2 environment?

There are two ways that you can configure a system to run SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. The first is to boot an instance running SUSE Linux in Amazon EC2. Once your image is running, you can use all of the standard SUSE tools including YaST and zypper to add packages and configure the system.

Another approach is to use SUSE Studio to configure a specific image that starts with SUSE JeOS (just enough operating system) and adds only those packages required to handle a specific workload. Among the variety of physical and virtual image types that SUSE Studio can build is the ability to create Amazon EC2 images, upload them to your EC2 account, and automatically launch them. For more information please visit: susestudio.com, or watch a video on SUSE Studio: Amazon EC2 integration

Q: How can I easily build application images based on Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

The easiest and fastest way is to leverage SUSE Studio. SUSE Studio is an easy to use, web-based tool to enable the creation and deployment of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server cloud applications within a couple of minutes. SUSE Studio is available as free online version (susestudio.com) or onsite version.

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Billing

Q: How will I be charged and billed for my use of Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

As with other Amazon EC2 instances, you pay only for what you use and there is no minimum fee. Pricing is per instance-hour consumed for each instance type. Partial instance-hours consumed are billed as full hours. Data transfer for Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is billed and tiered separately from Amazon EC2. There is no Data Transfer charge between two Amazon Web Services within the same region (i.e. between Amazon EC2 US West and another AWS service in the US West). Data transferred between AWS services in different regions will be charged as Internet Data Transfer on both sides of the transfer.

All Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server images include a basic subscription for updates and maintenance fixes that is reflected in the price charged by Amazon Web Services. There is no need for a separate agreement with SUSE or additional charges.





For Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server pricing information, please visit the pricing section on the Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise detail page.

Q: Do I need to pay anything to SUSE?

No, all billing is handled through Amazon EC2.

Q: When does billing of my Amazon EC2 systems begin and end?

Billing commences when Amazon EC2 initiates the boot sequence of an AMI instance. Billing ends when the instance terminates, which could occur through a web services command, by running “shutdown -h”, or through instance failure.

Q: What defines billable EC2 instance-hours?

Instance-hours are billed for any time your instances are in a “running” state. If you no longer wish to be charged for your instance, you must terminate it to avoid being billed for additional instance-hours.

Q. If I have two instances in different availability zones, how will I be charged for regional data transfer?

Each instance is charged for its data in and data out. Therefore, if data is transferred between these two instances, it is charged out for the first instance and in for the second instance.

Q. If I have two instances in different regions, how will I be charged for data transfer?

Each instance is charged for its data in and data out at Internet Data Transfer rates. Therefore, if data is transferred between these two instances, it is charged at Internet Data Transfer Out for the first instance and at Internet Data Transfer In for the second instance.

Q: Do your prices include taxes?

Except as otherwise noted, prices are exclusive of applicable taxes and duties, including VAT and applicable sales tax. For example, prices for the Asia Pacific (Tokyo) Region are inclusive of Japan consumption tax.

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Hardware Information

Q: Are there any restrictions on the instance types supported for Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is available for all instance types including Spot and Reserved instances.

Q: Are there any differences in the underlying SUSE Linux configurations depending on instance type?

There are three types of SUSE Linux Enterprise AMIs available, 32-bit, 64-bit and Cluster. Depending on which instance type you are running, the appropriate AMI will be provisioned. You have a choice of 32-bit or 64-bit for Micro Instances.

The Cluster instances are 64-bit configurations with hardware virtualization. If you choose to run Cluster GPU instances, the necessary drivers will be automatically installed enabling your applications to take advantage of the Tesla GPU.

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Auto Scaling

Q: Can Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server take advantage of Auto Scaling?

Yes.

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Reserved Instances

Q: Can I use Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in a Reserved Instance?

Yes. Reserved Instance pricing is available for 1 year and 3-year terms in all instance sizes. For pricing details see Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise pricing.

Q: How do I purchase and start up a Reserved Instance?

You can purchase Reserved Instances through the AWS Management Console or using EC2 API tools. In the AWS Management Console, simply click the “Reserved Instances” button in the EC2 Instances section, and select “Purchase Reserved Instances”. The wizard will walk you through the purchase. Using the API tools, you can list the available Reserved Instances for purchase with the DescribeReservedInstancesOfferings API method. You can then purchase an EC2 Reserved Instance by calling the PurchaseReservedInstancesOffering method. Launching a Reserved Instance is no different than launching an On-Demand Instance. You simply use the RunInstances command or launch an instance via the AWS Management Console. Amazon EC2 will optimally apply the cheapest rate that you are eligible for in the background.

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Spot Instances

Q: Can I use Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in a Spot Instance?

Yes.

Q: How do I purchase and start up a Spot Instance for Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

Spot Instances can be requested using the AWS Management Console or Amazon EC2 APIs. To start with the AWS Management Console:

1. Log in to the AWS Management Console and then click the “Amazon EC2” tab.
2. Click on “Spot Requests” in the navigation pane on the left.
3. Click on “Request Spot Instances” and proceed through the Launch Instance Wizard process, choosing a SUSE Linux Enterprise Server AMI, Region and instance size and type. Enter the number of Spot Instances you would like to request, your maximum price and whether the request is persistent or not. After choosing your key pair and security group(s), you are ready to submit your Spot Instance request.

For detail on how to request Spot Instances through the Amazon EC2 API, see the Amazon EC2 API Reference.

For a more detailed walk through of using Spot Instances and more information on how to get the most out of Spot Instances, please read Introduction to Spot Instances.

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Micro Instances

Q: Are Micro Instances available for Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in a Spot Instance?

We do not currently support the ability to coordinate launches into the same Availability Zone across AWS developer accounts.

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Cluster Compute and Cluster GPU Instances

Q: Can I use Amazon EC2 Running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server in a Spot Instance in Cluster Compute and Cluster GPU Instances?

Yes. SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is widely used in High Performance Computing and is ideally suited for Cluster Compute Instances. SUSE Linux Enterprise is available for both Cluster Compute and Cluster GPU Instances. When running Cluster GPU Instances, the libraries required to run application code on the Tesla GPU are automatically installed.

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Support

Q: What level of support is provided for Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

All instances of Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise automatically register with update servers with Amazon EC2 to receive updates. These updates are available at the same time they become available through SUSE’s update channels. Customers will be notified when updates are available. Updates can be installed using standard SLES systems management tools. Additionally, Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server is covered under AWS Premium Support. Premium Support customers that contact AWS for help will work directly with AWS to resolve issues that are related to SUSE Linux Enterprise Server. Amazon and SUSE engineering teams will work together to resolve any SUSE issues.

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Amazon DevPay

Q: Can I use Amazon DevPay with Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server?

No, you cannot use DevPay to bundle products on top of Amazon EC2 running SUSE Linux Enterprise Server at this time.

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