Using Public Data Sets
Topics
This section describes how to use Amazon EC2 public data sets.
Finding Public Data Sets
Before you launch a public data set, you must locate the set to launch.
To find a public data set
-
Go to the Public Data Sets Page.
-
Locate a public data set and write down its snapshot ID for your operating platform (e.g., Windows, Linux/UNIX).
Launching an Instance
Launch an instance as you normally do. For more information, see Launching and Using Instances.
Launching a Public Data Set Volume
To use a public data set, you launch an Amazon EBS volume, specifying its snapshot ID.
AWS Management Console
To create an Amazon EBS volume
-
Log in to the AWS Management Console and click the Amazon EC2 tab.
-
Click Volumes in the Navigation pane.
The console displays a list of current volumes.
-
Click Create Volume.
The Create Volume dialog box appears.
-
Configure the following settings and click Create.
- Size of the volume (in GiB) (optional)
- Availability Zone in which to launch the instance
- The ID of the public data set snaphsot
Amazon EC2 begins creating the volume.
Command Line Tools
To create an Amazon EBS volume
-
Enter the following command.
PROMPT>public-data-set-snapshot-id--zoneavailability-zoneAmazon EBS returns information about the volume similar to the following example.
VOLUME vol-4d826724 85 us-east-1a available 2008-02-14T00:00:00+0000 -
To check whether the volume is ready, use the following command.
PROMPT>Amazon EBS returns information about the volume similar to the following example.
VOLUME vol-4d826724 85 us-east-1a available 2008-07-29T08:49:25+0000
Mounting the Public Data Set Volume
Mount the volume as you normally do. For more information, see How to Make an Amazon EBS Volume Available for Use.