The Backup EC2 Instance action will create snapshots of all EBS volumes attached to an EC2 instance. In order to ensure consistency, the instance can be stopped and restarted when the snapshots are created.

For example, a backup can be done every day at 1am.

Please see Common Action Settings for a description of settings common to all action types.

Instance Identification Method

Indicate the method in which the instance is to be identified. Valid options are:

Instance ID

Indicate the instance id of your EC2 instance. This value usually looks like "i-84a3dc7b". This instance must reside in the region specified. Required only if Instance Identification Method is set to "Instance ID".

Instance Name

Indicate the value of the "Name" tag of the EC2 instance. This instance must reside in the region specified. Required only if Instance Identification Method is set to "Instance Name".

Snapshot Name

Optional. After each snapshot is created, this value is placed in the "Name" tag for the newly created snapshot. Macros can be used to include run-time data.

Description

Optional. Each snapshot can have a description saved with it. Macros can be used to include run-time data.

Consistency Method

Indicate the method in which to ensure volume consistency. Currently, two options exist:

Deregister from Load Balancers

If the instance will be stopped, indicate whether the instance should also be deregistered from any load balancers. The instance will automatically be re-registered with the load balancers.

EC2 Tags

Optional. EC2 tags can be set once the snapshots are complete. Click "Add Tag" to add a tag and fill the tag data. Any number of tags can be set, although Amazon EC2 has a limit of 10 (including the Name tag). Macros can be used in the tag values to include run-time data. 

Optional. Once the snapshot is complete, it can be copied to a different region. If the snapshot should be copied, select the target region.

The following Amazon AWS commands are used. The access key should have permission to execute all of them.