Amazon EC2, Windows Instance. Start remotely

Question

I would like to use a EC2 instance for accounting purpose as the instance is required to be accessed by multiple party. Since EC2 charges are per hour basis. I am planning to turn on the instance only when some one needs to use then turn if off. The instance is not required to be live 24x7.

1. Start the instance with a mouse click. (maybe some script or panel or url.
2. Remote Desktop Connect- My accountant finishes the work.
3. User shutdown the instance or auto shutdown after 30 mins of inactivity.

How do we go about it ?

Thanks, Dwija

Answer 1

You can Start an Amazon EC2 instance that was previously Stopped by sending a StartInstance command. This can be done from many different programming languages , or via the AWS Command-Line Interface (CLI) (available for Windows, Mac and Linux).

Turning off the instance when it is not in use is harder because you need to identify when it is appropriate to turn it off. You could have a program on the instance itself (much like a screensaver) that detects when the system is 'idle' and issues a Shutdown command on the virtual machine (just like Choosing Shutdown from the Start menu). This will Stop the Amazon EC2 instance.

An alternative, depending on your use-case, would be to use Amazon Workspaces , which is a virtual desktop -- a computer that is running in the cloud that you can connect with from Windows, Mac, iOS or Android devices. It is charged either on a monthly subscription or on a combination of subscription + hourly charge. It automatically turns off after the user has disconnected for a period of time. An Amazon Workspace is typically used by one person as their 'personal' computer, but it could be shared amongst other users.