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I just created a free EC2 instance with all the defaults. It says it's running in the AWS Management Console. On the "Instance Actions" menu, I click "Connect". I copy the DNS name provided (looks like ec2-a-dashed-IP-address.compute-1.amazonaws.com) and try to SSH to it. No response. I can't even ping it. What gives?

CrazyPyro
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2 Answers2

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Apparently the default firewall is locked down, even though it doesn't look like it. Go to "Security Groups" on the left-hand pane of the AWS console, and select the "default" group. There are already entries for all TCP,UDP, and ICMP from a Source of "default group".

For a new entry at the bottom, select "SSH" from the "Connection Method" dropdown. The Source will default to "0.0.0.0/0" instead of "default group". Click "Save" over on the right and now it should respond when you try to SSH in.

If you want to ping it, create a similar new entry with protocol "ICMP", leaving the Connection Method as "Custom..."

CrazyPyro
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  • Posting this in case it's helpful, but maybe it's painfully obvious to everyone but me. I expect things to be locked down by default, but not so much that I can't even ping my own instance! Maybe the "Connect Help" dialog that pops up in response to "Instance Actions"->"Connect" should at least make a mention of it if you have yourself locked out... – CrazyPyro Mar 10 '11 at 21:16
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The way I got ping to work was:

  • Select Inbound -> Custom ICMP
  • Select "Echo Request"
  • Set Source if needed or use 0.0.0.0/0 for everywhere
  • Apply

(ssh worked out of the box for my instance)

techturbulence
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