Launching EC2 Instances Across AZs: My First Skill Builder Lab

Hello fellow builders! I'm an incoming 4th year BSCS student specializing in data science. I am the incoming Data Science lead for AWSBG at Adamson so this role will involve helping other students learn AWS and cloud computing.

When the Skill Builder execution workshop came up, I saw it as a great opportunity to finally get hands-on experience. Not just for myself, but so I could actually use this for future workshops and teach other students better.

So I picked a lab and just went for it. Here's how it went.

The Lab

The lab was titled "Cloud First Steps" and the goal was simple: launch two EC2 instances in different Availability Zones within the same AWS Region.

EC2 is basically virtual computers in the cloud. Availability Zones are just different physical locations where AWS has data centers. So you're running two servers in two different places so if one location has issues, your stuff doesn't just die.

The region I used was us-east-1 (N. Virginia) since that is what the lab suggested. Here is what I did in the Lab:

Step 1: First Instance

• The lab walked me through launching the first one. I went to the EC2 dashboard, clicked "Launch Instance", picked t3.micro (the free tier one), selected us-east-1a as the zone, and hit launch.
• That was it. Took maybe 3 minutes. Instance was up and running.
• I named it webserver01 so I wouldn't forget what it was for.

Step 2: Second Instance (The DIY Part)

• This was where I had to figure things out on my own. I had to launch a second instance in a different zone.
• Honestly? Pretty straightforward. I just clicked "Launch Instance" again, used the same AMI and instance type, but this time manually selected us-east-1b from the dropdown.
• Named it webserver02.
• The console felt familiar honestly. It's not that different from any other workspace or IDE I've used before. The layout made sense. Buttons were where I expected them to be. I didn't feel lost or overwhelmed.

Step 3: Validation

• The lab had a built-in validation system that checked if both instances were running in separate zones. I just clicked the button and it verified everything.
• Then I got this screen:
• "YOU DID IT!"
• Showed my instance ID i-0004924225b4793f0 and confirmed both instances were in separate zones.

What I Actually Learned

1. I knew what AZs were from studying but actually seeing my instances in us-east-1a and us-east-1b made it real. These are actual different data centers. If one goes down, the other keeps running.

2. t3.micro is free tier, I used it for both instances. Didn't get charged anything so its good for practicing.

3. Launching instances is actually really fast, I thought it would be more complicated.

Why This Matters for Teaching Especially For My Role

One of the main reasons I wanted to do this lab was so I can use what I learn for future AWS workshops at school. I want to help build cloud skills in my school community and actually teach people.

This lab gave me a concrete example to show students. When I explain EC2 and Availability Zones, I can say "here's what I did, here's how it looked, here's what I learned."

Plus it helps me understand the learning experience from a student perspective. What's confusing? What's straightforward? What mistakes do people make? Now I actually know because I went through it myself. Which is way more valuable than just reading documentation.

My Key Takeaways for Beginners

Honestly, Just start. Don't overthink it and explore. But here are some tips specifically about this Lab.

1. Use proper naming conventions because if you have two instances both unnamed, you'll get confused. Simple names like webserver01 and webserver02 work fine.

2. Check your Availability Zone. It's easy to accidentally launch both in the same zone. Double check the dropdown before you click launch.

3. Your instance isn't fully ready until the status check passes. "Initializing" is normal.

Final Thoughts

Being from India, I want to share with one of my favorite quotes from our national hero: Mahatma Gandhi.

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." — Mahatma Gandhi

That really sums up how I feel about AWS and the tech world in general. There's always something new to discover, always another lab to run, always another skill to build. One lab done, but the learning definitely doesn't stop here.

So I'm gonna keep going through Skill Builder labs. I'm currently finishing up the "AWS SimuLearn: Generative AI Architect" learning plan. So still a lot to learn! I want to build up enough experience so I can confidently run workshops and help other students at my school learn AWS.