Lab Information
The Nautilus Development Team needs to set up a new EC2 instance and configure it to run a web server. This EC2 instance should be part of an Application Load Balancer (ALB) setup to ensure high availability and better traffic management. The task involves creating an EC2 instance, setting up an ALB, configuring a target group, and ensuring the web server is accessible via the ALB DNS.
Create a security group: Create a security group named xfusion-sg to open port 80 for the default security group (which will be attached to the ALB). Attach xfusion-sg security group to the EC2 instance.
Create an EC2 instance: Create an EC2 instance named xfusion-ec2. Use any available Ubuntu AMI to create this instance. Configure the instance to run a user data script during its launch.
This script should:
Install the Nginx package.
Start the Nginx service.
Set up an Application Load Balancer: Set up an Application Load Balancer named xfusion-alb. Attach default security group to the same.
Create a target group: Create a target group named xfusion-tg.
Route traffic: The ALB should route traffic on port 80 to port 80 of the xfusion-ec2 instance.
Security group adjustments: Make appropriate changes in the default security group attached to the ALB if necessary. Eventually, the Nginx server running under xfusion-ec2 instance must be accessible using the ALB DNS.
Lab Solutions
Step 1: Create Security Group xfusion-sg
Open AWS Management Console
Go to EC2 → Security Groups
Click Create security group
Configuration
Security group name: xfusion-sg
Description: Allow HTTP access
VPC: Default VPC
Inbound Rules
Add rule:
Type: HTTP
Protocol: TCP
Port: 80
Source: 0.0.0.0/0
Leave Outbound rules as default
Click Create security group
✅ This security group will be attached to the EC2 instance
Step 2: Create EC2 Instance xfusion-ec2
Go to EC2 → Instances → Launch instance
Basic Configuration
Name: xfusion-ec2
AMI: Ubuntu (any available version, e.g., Ubuntu 22.04)
Instance type: t2.micro (or any free-tier type)
Key pair: Choose existing or create new
Network: Default VPC
Subnet: Any public subnet
Auto-assign Public IP: Enable
Security Group
Select Existing security group
Choose xfusion-sg
User Data Script (IMPORTANT)
Paste the following under Advanced details → User data:
!/bin/bash
apt update -y
apt install nginx -y
systemctl start nginx
systemctl enable nginx
This script installs and starts Nginx automatically at launch
Click Launch instance
Wait until instance status shows Running
Step 3: Create Target Group xfusion-tg
Go to EC2 → Target Groups
Click Create target group
Configuration
Target type: Instances
Target group name: xfusion-tg
Protocol: HTTP
Port: 80
VPC: Default VPC
Health check path: /
Click Next
Register Targets
Select xfusion-ec2
Click Include as pending
Click Create target group
Step 4: Create Application Load Balancer xfusion-alb
Go to EC2 → Load Balancers
Click Create load balancer
Select Application Load Balancer
Basic Configuration
Name: xfusion-alb
Scheme: Internet-facing
IP address type: IPv4
Network Mapping
VPC: Default VPC
Availability Zones: Select at least two subnets
Security Groups
Select default security group
Ensure it allows:
HTTP (80) from 0.0.0.0/0
Listener and Routing
Listener:
Protocol: HTTP
Port: 80
Default action:
Forward to xfusion-tg
Click Create load balancer
Step 5: Verify Security Group for ALB
Go to EC2 → Security Groups
Open the default security group attached to the ALB
Ensure Inbound rule exists:
HTTP | TCP | 80 | 0.0.0.0/0
If not:
Add it
Save rules
Step 6: Verify Target Health
Go to EC2 → Target Groups
Select xfusion-tg
Open Targets tab
Status should show:
Healthy
⏳ This may take 1–2 minutes after ALB creation
Step 7: Access the Application via ALB DNS
Go to EC2 → Load Balancers
Select xfusion-alb
Copy the DNS name
Open browser and paste:
http://
✅ Expected Output
You should see the Nginx Welcome Page, confirming:
✔ EC2 instance is running
✔ Nginx is installed and active
✔ ALB is routing traffic correctly
✔ Target group is healthy
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