Install mc after vmdk import

Install the Management Console after the VMDK Import¶

In this approach, there are detailed steps to first create a VMDK file with Rocky Linux installed, upload it to an S3 bucket, import it as an AMI, and then launch an EC2 instance. After launching the instance, install and configure the Management Console (MC) on the EC2 instance.

Step 1: Generate VMDK for Rocky Linux 8¶

Download and install the VirtualBox from VirtualBox.org.
Create a New Virtual Machine:
1. Open the VirtualBox, and then click New.
2. Provide name for the VM (e.g., RockyLinux810).
3. Select Linux as the Type and Red Hat 8.x (64-bit) as the Version.
4. Click Next.
Allocate Resources:
1. Allocate resources (e.g., Memory: 12288 MB, CPU: 4).
2. Click Next.
Create a Virtual Hard Disk:
1. Select Create a virtual hard disk now.
2. Choose VMDK (Virtual Machine Disk) as the file type.
3. Set the disk size (e.g., 62 GB).
4. Click Finish.
Download the Rocky Linux ISO from Official Rocky Linux page.
reference: Rocky Linux 8.10 ISO.
Mount the ISO File:
1. Select the VM and click Settings.
2. Go to the Storage tab.
3. Click on the empty CD/DVD drive.
4. Select Choose a disk file.
5. Browse to the downloaded Rocky Linux ISO file and select it.
6. Click OK.
Start the VM and Install Rocky Linux:
1. Select the VM and click Start. The VM will boot from the ISO file.
2. Follow the installation prompts to install the Rocky Linux.
3. Choose your language, keyboard layout, and other preferences.
4. During the installation process, you will be prompted to create a user.
  1. Enter the following details:
    - Full Name: admin
    - Username: admin
    - Password: ManagementConsole2015
    - Confirm Password: ManagementConsole2015
  2. Select the Make this user an administrator checkbox, and then click Next.
5. Choose your destination (the virtual hard disk) for installation.
6. Click Begin Installation.
7. Click Reboot system
Log in to Rocky Linux:
1. Log in with your created user account credentials.
2. Verify that Rocky Linux is installed successfully.
Prepare VMDK for Export:
1. Shut down the VM.
2. Select the VM and click File → Export Appliance
3. Select the Rocky Linux VM and change the file extension from .ova to .ovf
4. Choose the destination for the exported files.
5. Locate the VMDK file in the specified file location.

Creating and Using the Rocky Linux VMDK

Generating the VMDK is a one-time task (Step 1: Generate VMDK for Rocky Linux 8). After creation, upload the VMDK to Amazon S3 and import it as a base Rocky Linux AMI. You can then use this base AMI to install different MC versions. A new VMDK is only required if you change the operating system version—for example, when migrating from Rocky Linux 8 to Rocky Linux 9.

Step 2: Upload the VMDK to S3¶

Open the AWS Management Console, and navigate to the S3 service.
Create a new bucket (or use an existing one) to store the VMDK file.
Upload the VMDK file to the S3 bucket. (Uploading may take 5-10 minutes.)

Step 3: Import VMDK to Create a Base AMI¶

Open the AWS Management Console, and navigate to the EC2 Image builder service.
In the left-hand menu, select Images → Import Image.
Click the Import Image button.
Provide name, version and select the Base Image operating system as Red Enterprise Linux 8.
Browse the VMDK file in s3 or enter the s3 VMDK URL.
Attach the existing IAM role or create a new one which has access to import the VMDK.
Start the import process and Import the Rocky Linux VMDK. (Import process will take about 5-10 mintues.)

Step 4: Launch EC2 Instance from Base AMI¶

After the import is complete, locate the newly created AMI in the AMIs section.
Select the AMI, and then click Launch Instance.
Configure the instance details:
- Instance Type: t3.xlarge
- Security Group: ensure appropriate rules (e.g., allow SSH, HTTP, HTTPS). Refer to System Configuration
- Key Pair: select or create a key pair for SSH access.
Launch the instance. (It will take about 2-5 mintues.)

Step 5: Install MC RPM and Configure Instance¶

Connect to the EC2 Instance:
1. Open the AWS Management Console.
2. Navigate to the EC2 service.
3. Select the running instance and click Connect.
4. Follow the instructions to connect to the instance via SSH.
Install MC RPM:
1. Upload the MC RPM package 24.05 or latest and required dependencies to the instance by using WinSCP or SFTP.
2. Connect to the instance via SSH.
3. Run following command
```
sudo dnf update
```
4. Install the MC RPM package. Refer to MC Installation Using RPM.
Execute firewall commands required for Management Console. Refer to Moving Between IPv4 and IPv6.
After Installation, verify if MC is up and running in the IP address provided by the instance.

Step 6: Create a New AMI from the Configured Instance¶

In the EC2 Management Console, select the running instance.
Click Actions → Image and templates → Create image.
Provide the name and details to create the image. This will create a new AMI with MC installed. (This process will take 5 minutes).

Note: Copy AMI to Other Regions and Make Public

Complete steps 7 and 8 only if you need to copy the AMI to other regions and make it public.

Step 7: Copy AMI to Multiple Regions:¶

In the EC2 Management Console, navigate to the AMIs section.
Select the newly created AMI.
Click Actions → Copy AMI.
Choose the target region and start the copying process.
Repeat this process for each desired AWS region.

Step 8: Make AMIs Public:¶

In the EC2 Management Console, navigate to the AMIs section.
Select each AMI (in each region) that you want to make public.
Click Actions → Modify Image Permissions.
Set the image to public.

Note: If you encounter any issues in AMI generation

If you encounter any issues in AMI generation with Amazon S3 access and Amazon EC2 instance launch, verify that the required permissions are correctly configured.