AWS Cloud - Platform example

The cloud is great but the array of technology and how it all hangs together can be somewhat confusing for anyone used to legacy VPS boxes and limited VM infrastructures (i.e just a server and a firewall). So, to help clarify things, and to expand on the array of services available for scaling and content distribution we have an updated example build featured on the Cirronix website, and as we're so good to you you don't even have to visit, here it is, along with the explanation....

 

This is our comprehensive mid-level base build designed for robust delivery of secure web apps. It can be upgraded for extended auto-scaling or redeveloped to accommodate Microsoft Windows IIS applications with a linked SQL database backend.

Linux versions of this design serving mainstream applications can usually be implemented from consultation through R&D to go-live in around five days. More complex requirements or Windows platforms may take a little longer to develop.

Breakdown

 

Build :
The base design runs Canonical 64 bit Ubuntu LTS UEC EC2 EBS instances tailored to specific functions. EBS instances offer root volume expansion with resource upscale across the full EC2 range in the time it takes to reboot.
The farm can be delivered just using Amazon Web Services or further enhanced if provisioned through Scalr Cloud Management.

Resilience :
Scalr Cloud Management provides instance self repair and balancing plus MySQL master-slave failover with multi-scaling options in response to load or time based metrics. At server level MONIT is installed to restart failed services.

Performance :
MySQL runs provisioned IOPS for high performance I/O and a Cloudfront CDN component automatically routes request to a global network of low latency edge locations, so content is always delivered with the best possible performance, no matter where it is viewed from.       

Security :
Instances are protected by AWS security groups with IP and port restrictions between servers.
OSSEC is used for host intrusion detection with best practice server lockdown at operating system and service level.       

Connectivity :
Options for both Scalr or AWS Route 53 DNS are available. R53 provides zone apex mapping to elastic load balancers whilst Scalr managed DNS provides auto configuration for relaunched instances. HTTPS connectivity via SSL is optional and accommodates multi-domain CAs to single server IPs.

If you would like more information on this build, or if you need help and advice to develop your own bespoke design please get in touch via our contact page and we'll hook up to discuss your requirements.