ec2-run-instances

Description

Launches a specified number of instances of an AMI for which you have permissions.

If Amazon EC2 cannot launch the minimum number AMIs you request, no instances will be launched. If there is insufficient capacity to launch the maximum number of AMIs you request, Amazon EC2 launches the minimum number specified for each AMI and allocate the remaining available instances using round robin.

In the following example, Libby generates a request to launch two images (database and web_server):

Libby runs the RunInstances operation to launch database instances (min. 10, max. 15) and web_server instances (min. 30, max. 40).
Because there are currently 30 instances available and Libby needs a minimum of 40, no instances are launched.
Libby adjusts the number of instances she needs and runs the RunInstances operation to launch database instances (min. 5, max. 10) and web_server instances (min. 20, max. 40).
Amazon EC2 launches the minimum number of instances for each AMI (5 database, 20 web_server).
The remaining 5 instances are allocated using round robin.
Libby adjusts the number of instances she needs and runs the RunInstances operation again to launch database instances (min. 5, max. 10) and web_server instances (min. 20, max. 40).

	Note
	Every instance is launched in a security group (created using the `CreateSecurityGroup` operation.

You can provide an optional key pair ID for each image in the launch request (created using the CreateKeyPair operation). All instances that are created from images that use this key pair will have access to the associated public key at boot. You can use this key to provide secure access to an instance of an image on a per-instance basis. Amazon EC2 public images use this feature to provide secure access without passwords.

	Important
	Launching public images without a key pair ID will leave them inaccessible.

The public key material is made available to the instance at boot time by placing it in the openssh_id.pub file on a logical device that is exposed to the instance as /dev/sda2 (the instance store). The format of this file is suitable for use as an entry within ~/.ssh/authorized_keys (the OpenSSH format). This can be done at boot (e.g., as part of rc.local) allowing for secure access without passwords.

Optional user data can be provided in the launch request. All instances that collectively comprise the launch request have access to this data. For more information, go the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud Developer Guide or Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud User Guide.

	Note
	If any of the AMIs have a product code attached for which the user has not subscribed, the `RunInstances` call will fail.

	Important
	We strongly recommend using the 2.6.18 Xen stock kernel with High-CPU and High-Memory instances. Although the default Amazon EC2 kernels will work, the new kernels provide greater stability and performance for these instance types. For more information about kernels, go the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud Developer Guide.

Syntax

ec2-run-instances ami_id [-n instance_count] [-g group [-g group ...]] [-k keyname] [-d user_data | -f user_data_file] [ --addressing addressing_type] [ --type instance_type] [ --availability-zone zone] [ --kernel kernel_id] [ --ramdisk ramdisk_id] [ --block-device-mappingblock_device_mapping]

Options

Name	Description	Required
`ami_id`	Unique ID of a machine image, returned by a call to Type: String Default: None Example: ami-15a4417c	Yes
`-k` `keyname`	The name of the key pair. Type: String Default: None Example: MyKeyPair	No
`group`	Name of the security group. Type: String Default: None Example: websrv	No
`-f` `user-data-file`	Specifies additional information to make available to the instance(s). Type: String Default: None Example: MyDataFile.txt	No
`-d` `user_data`	MIME, Base64-encoded user data. Type: String Default: None Example: my user data	No
`--type` `instance_type`	Specifies the instance type. Type: String Valid Values: `m1.small` \| `m1.large` \| `m1.xlarge` \| `c1.medium` \| `c1.xlarge` \| `m2.xlarge` \| `m2.2xlarge` \| `m2.4xlarge` Default: m1.small Example: m1.large	No
`kernel`	The ID of the kernel with which to launch the instance. Type: String Default: None Example: aki-ba3adfd3	No
`ramdisk`	The ID of the RAM disk to select. Some kernels require additional drivers at launch. Check the kernel requirements for information on whether you need to specify a RAM disk. To find kernel requirements, refer to the Resource Center and search for the kernel ID. Type: String Default: None Example: ari-badbad00	No
`--block-device-mapping` `mapping`	The device name (e.g., /dev/sdh). Type: String Default: None Example: /dev/sdh	No
`--block-device-mapping` `mapping`	The virtual device name. Type: String Default: None Example:	No
`--snapshot` `snapshot`	The ID of the snapshot. Type: String Default: None Example: snap-78a54011	No
`--size` `size`	The size of the volume, in GiBs. Required if you are not creating a volume from a snapshot. Type: Integer Default: None Example: 10	No
`--delete-on-termination`	Specifies whether the Amazon EBS volume is deleted on instance termination. Type: Boolean Default: true Example: --delete-on-termination	No
`--monitored`	Enables monitoring for the instance. Type: Boolean Default: Disabled Example: --monitored	No
`--subnet`	Specifies the Amazon VPC subnet ID within which to launch the instance(s) for Amazon Virtual Private Cloud. Type: String Default: None Example: MyPrivateSubnet	No
`--disable-api-termination`	Specifies whether the instance can be terminated using the APIs. You must modify this attribute before you can terminate any "locked" instances from the APIs. Type: Boolean Default: true Example: --disable-api-termination	No
`--instance-initiated-shutdown-behavior`	Specifies whether the instance's Amazon EBS volumes are stopped or terminated when the instance is shut down. Type: String Default: true Example: --instance-initiated-shutdown-behavior	No
`-n` `instance_count`	The number of instances to launch. If Amazon EC2 cannot launch the specified number of instances, no instances will launch. If this is specified as a range (min-max), Amazon EC2 will try to launch the maximum number, but no fewer than the minimum number. Type: String Default: None Constraints: Between 1 and the maximum number allowed for your account (default: 20). Example: 5-10	Yes

Output

The command returns a table that contains the following information:

Output type identifier ("INSTANCE")
Instance ID which uniquely identifies each running instance
AMI ID of the image on which the instance(s) are based
DNS name associated with the instance (only present for instances in the running state)
Instance state. This is usually pending, which indicates that the instance(s) are preparing to launch
Key name. If a key was associated with the instance at launch its name is displayed
AMI launch index
Instance type. Specifies the instance type (CPU and memory configuration)
Instance launch time. Specifies when the instance launched
Availability Zone. Specifies the zone in which the instance launched

Amazon EC2 displays errors on stderr.

Examples

Example Request

This example launches three instances of the ami-60a54009 AMI.

PROMPT> ec2-run-instances ami-60a54009 -n 3 --availability-zone us-east-1a
 RESERVATION r-237fed4a 853279305796 default INSTANCE i-d9add0b0
							ami-60a54009 pending 0 m1.small 2009-05-14T12:38:24+0000 us-east-1a aki-a71cf9ce
							ari-a51cf9cc monitoring-disabled INSTANCE i-dbadd0b2 ami-60a54009 pending 1
							m1.small 2009-05-14T12:38:24+0000 us-east-1a aki-a71cf9ce ari-a51cf9cc
							monitoring-disabled INSTANCE i-ddadd0b4 ami-60a54009 pending 2 m1.small
							2009-05-14T12:38:24+0000 us-east-1a aki-a71cf9ce ari-a51cf9cc monitoring-disabled