Training Loop

AWS EC2 VM Creation Demo

This guide walks through the process of creating a virtual machine (EC2 instance) in Amazon Web Services.

The demo is designed for learning and training purposes and shows the basic workflow used by engineers to launch a virtual machine in AWS.

It is part of the Turtini Training Loop, a series of short operational guides focused on building practical infrastructure skills.

Overview

In this demo we will:

  1. Log into the AWS Console

  2. Navigate to the EC2 service

  3. Launch a new virtual machine

  4. Configure networking and access

  5. Connect to the instance

  6. Verify the VM is operational

Estimated time: 10–15 minutes

Architecture Overview

The virtual machine will run inside a Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) and be accessible via SSH.

User
  │
  ▼
AWS Console
  │
  ▼
EC2 Service
  │
  ▼
Virtual Machine (EC2 Instance)
  │
  ▼
Security Group + Networking

Step 1 — Log into AWS

  1. Open the AWS Console at https://console.aws.amazon.com

  2. Sign in with your AWS account credentials

  3. From the Services menu select EC2 or in the search bar type:

EC2

  1. Click EC2

aws-ec2-selection

You should now see the EC2 dashboard.

Step 2 — Launch a New Instance

  1. Click Launch Instance

aws-ec2-start-launch-instance

  1. Click Launch without a wakthrough

aws-ec2-launch-without-walkthrough

  1. Provide a name for the instance

Example:

demo-ec2-vm

  1. Select Red Hat under Application and OS Images (Amazon Machine Image) or AMI.

aws-ec2-name-ami

Step 3 — Choose Instance Type

Select a small instance type for the demo.

Example:

t2.micro

This instance type is commonly included in the AWS free tier.

Step 4 — Configure Access

Create or select an SSH key pair.

Name:

aws-vm-demo-key.pem

Key type:

RSA

Format:

.pem

Download and store this key securely.

aws-ec2-key-pair

Step 5 — Configure Networking

Use the default VPC settings for the demo.

Recommended settings:

*Create security group

  • Allow SSH traffic from anywhere

  • 1 x10 GiB gp3 Root volume, 3000 IOPS, Not encrypted

This creates the necessary security group rules to allow access to the VM.

The default storage settings are fine:

10 GiB pg3

Step 6 — Launch the Instance

Click Launch Instance.

AWS will begin provisioning the virtual machine.

Provisioning typically takes 30–60 seconds.

aws-ec2-config-launch-instance

aws-ec2-instance-launch-success

Step 7 — Connect to the VM

From the EC2 dashboard:

  1. Click Connect to your instance

aws-ec2-connect-to-instance

  1. Use either:

    • EC2 Instance Connect

aws-ec2-connect-screen

  • SSH from your terminal

Example SSH command:

ssh -i aws-vm-demo-key.pem ec2-user@INSTANCE_PUBLIC_IP

Example:

ssh -i aws-vm-demo-key.pem ec2-user@54.191.10.25

Step 8 — Verify the VM

Once connected, run:

uname -a

This confirms the virtual machine is running and accessible.

Review your OS information by running:

cat /etc/os-release

Step 9 — Stop or Terminate your VM

To avoid charges, from the AWS Console, access the EC2 dashboard again.

  1. Open the AWS Console at https://console.aws.amazon.com

  2. Sign in with your AWS account credentials

  3. From the Services menu select EC2 or in the search bar type:

EC2

  1. Click EC2

You should now see the EC2 dashboard.

  1. Select Instances

  2. Select Instant State and select Stop or Terminate. This stops or terminates the VM.

aws-ec2-terminate-screen

Demo Complete

You have successfully:

  • Created a virtual machine in AWS

  • Configured networking and access

  • Connected to the instance

  • Completed housekeeping after you ran your demo

AWSvKubernetes