Amazon EC2 Systems Manager
Amazon EC2 Systems Manager is a collection of capabilities that helps you automate management tasks such as collecting system inventory, applying operating system (OS) patches, automating the creation of Amazon Machine Images (AMIs), and configuring operating systems (OSs) and applications at scale. Systems Manager works with managed instances: Amazon EC2 instances and servers or virtual machines (VMs) in your on-premises environment that are configured for Systems Manager.
Note
Systems Manager features and shared components are offered at no additional cost. You pay only for the EC2 resources that you use.
Information for Windows Users
See Amazon EC2 Systems Manager in the Amazon EC2 User Guide for Windows Instances.
Systems Manager simplifies the following tasks.
| Tasks | Details |
|---|---|
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Run Command lets you remotely and securely manage the configuration of your managed instances at scale. Use Run Command to perform ad hoc changes like updating applications or running Linux shell scripts on a target set of dozens or hundreds of instances. | |
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Inventory Manager automates the process of collecting software inventory from managed instances. You can use Inventory Manager to gather metadata about OS and system configurations and application deployments. | |
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State Manager automates the process of keeping your managed instances in a defined state. You can use State Manager to ensure that your instances are bootstrapped with specific software at startup or patched with specific software updates. | |
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Automation automates common maintenance and deployment tasks. You can use Automation to create and update Amazon Machine Images, apply driver and agent updates, and apply OS patches or application updates. |
Systems Manager also includes the following shared components to help you efficiently administer managed instances while minimizing the impact to them.
| Component | Details |
|---|---|
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Maintenance Windows let you set up recurring schedules for managed instances to execute administrative tasks like installing patches and updates without interrupting business-critical operations. | |
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Parameter Store centralizes the management of configuration data. You can use Parameter Store to store passwords, license keys, or database connection strings that you commonly reference in scripts, commands, or other automation and configuration workflows. |
Getting Started
Use the following task list to get started with Systems Manager.
Complete the Systems Manager walkthroughs in a test environment. These walkthroughs describe how to configure roles and permissions and use Systems Manager features on an EC2 instance.
Verify prerequisites for your EC2 instances and on-premises servers or VMs.
Create a managed instance activation (on-premises servers and VMs only).
Configure user and instance roles and permissions. The roles and permissions described in the walkthroughs are not restrictive. Use the information in Configuring Access to Systems Manager to create more restrictive roles and permissions for your production machines.
Contents
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