To use the commands described in this guide, you must install both the AMI tools and the API tools. The AMI tools create, bundle, and migrate AMIs between regions. The API tools mirror the Amazon EC2 SOAP and Query APIs and enable you to perform all other functions.

The command line tools are available as a ZIP file in the Amazon EC2 Resource Center. These tools are written in Java and include shell scripts for both Windows 2000/XP and Linux/UNIX/Mac OSX. The ZIP file is self-contained; no installation is required. You just download it and unzip it.

For information on setting up and using the tools, go to the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud Getting Started Guide.

	Note
	If you need to create and modify Amazon EC2 AMIs, download the AMI tools from the public Amazon S3 downloads bucket. For instructions on how to create AMIs, go to the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud User Guide.