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Create Your First Amazon EBS Import Job

With an Amazon EBS import job, AWS creates a virtual copy of your device as a single image. The device's file system is never mounted.

The capacity of your device determines how the device image is stored. The maximum capacity of an Amazon EBS volume is 1 TB. If the capacity of the device is greater than 1 TB, we cannot import the disk directly into an EBS snapshot.

Note

The maximum capacity of a device is independent of the amount of data stored on the device.

If your device capacity is 1 TB or less, we store the device image directly to an EBS snapshot.

If your device capacity is greater than 1 TB, we store the device image as a series of objects in an Amazon S3 bucket. You can then create a RAID of Amazon EBS volumes using software such as Logical Volume Manager, and copy the image from Amazon S3 to the new volume.

You must submit a separate job request for each device.

Note

You can send multiple devices in the same shipment. If you do, however, there are specific guidelines and limitations that govern what devices you can ship and how your devices must be packaged. If your shipment is not prepared and packed correctly, AWS Import/Export cannot process your jobs. Regardless of how many devices you ship at one time, you must submit a separate job request for each device. For complete details about packaging requirements when shipping multiple devices, see Shipping Multiple Devices.

For more information, see Guidelines and Limitations

To create an Amazon EBS import job

Create a manifest file.
Prepare your device for shipping.
Send a CreateJob request.
AWS Import/Export sends a response and a PDF file with a barcode and job information.
Attach the barcode to your device.
Ship your device.

In your request, you must identify an existing Amazon S3 bucket for logging. You must have write permissions on the bucket.

Tip

You can create a bucket using AWS S3 Console. For more information, go to http://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/UG/CreatingaBucket.html.

These steps assume that you have signed up for an AWS account and created your AWSCredentials.properties file as described in the earlier tasks.

Create a Manifest File

The manifest file is a YAML-formatted text file that tells AWS how to handle your job. It consists of a set of name-value pairs that supply required information, such as your device ID, secret access key, and return address. For more information about YAML, go to http://yaml.org.

The AWS Import/Export Web Service Tool provides three examples of manifest files that you can modify for your import and export jobs.

Go to the Examples folder in the folder where you installed the AWS Import/Export Web Service Tool.

Open the ebs-import-manifest.txt file in a text editor.

manifestVersion: 3.0
accessKeyId:[Enter 20 character id]
deviceId:[Enter device serial number]
logPrefix: [Optional - a prefix for your log bucket]
logBucket:[Your log bucket]
generator: AWS Import/Export Command Line Tool
eraseDevice: no
returnAddress:
    name:[Your name]
    company:[Optional - your company]
    street1:[Your street]
    street2:[Optional - additional street info]
    street3:[Optional - additional street info]
    city:[Your city]
    stateOrProvince:[Your state or province]
    postalCode:[Your postal code]
    country:[Your country]
    phoneNumber:[Contact number]
operations:
    - destination: ebs-snapshot
      source: device
      region: us-east-1 | us-west-1 | us-west-2 | eu-west-1 | ap-southeast-1
      deviceCapacityGreaterThan1TB: [yes|no]

Important

When shipping devices internationally except within the European Union you must include the customs option in the manifest. For more information about the customs-related manifest options, see Customs Manifest File Option.

In the file, replace all text in brackets with the appropriate values. Delete any unused optional lines.
Provide your Access Key ID and the name of the existing Amazon S3 bucket for logging. For the logBucket option, provide only the name of your bucket, for example s3examplebucket.
If your device capacity is greater than 1 TB, your files will be stored in the Amazon S3 bucket specified in the logBucket option.
For more information about manifest file options, see Manifest File Options Reference.
The destination subfield in the operations option specifies that the data is imported into an Amazon EBS snapshot. Change the region parameter to specify the correct region. For more information about regions go to the AWS Import/Export Calculator. For more information about other operations options, see Creating Import Manifests.
If your device capacity is 1 TB or less, specify no for the deviceCapacityGreaterThan1TB option. If your device capacity is greater than 1 TB, specify yes for the deviceCapacityGreaterThan1TB option.
If the deviceCapacityGreaterThan1TB option is not set correctly for your device, AWS Import/Export will not perform the import and we will return your storage device.
Save the file as MyEBSImportManifest.txt in the same folder as your AWSCredentials.properties file.

Prepare Your Device for Shipping

If your device is not properly prepared before shipping, AWS might need to return the device without processing the request. For more information, see Shipping Your Storage Device

Send a CreateJob Request

Now that you have your credentials file and manifest file in place, you send a CreateJob request to AWS Import/Export.

You send a separate CreateJob request for each device.

Open a command prompt (or, on a Mac, use the Terminal application), and change to the directory where you unzipped the AWS Import/Export tool.
Enter the following CreateJob request on the command line.
```
CmdPrompt>java -jar lib/AWSImportExportWebServiceTool-1.0.jar CreateJob Import MyEBSImportManifest.txt .  
```
The CreateJob request includes a directory name for where you want the shipping instructions PDF file saved. In this example, the closing period (.) at the end of the command refers to the current directory. Either include the period, as shown above, or replace it with a directory name.

If there is an error, AWS Import/Export returns an error message.

If there are no errors in the request, AWS Import/Export returns a JOB CREATED response.The following is a sample response.

JOB CREATED 

JobId: ABCDE 
JobType: Import

Shipping instructions saved to C:\DirectoryName\.\shipping-instructions-ABCDE.pdf

SHIPPING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Open the Shipping Instructions file with a PDF reader.
2. Print out the Shipping Instructions which includes the AWS Shipping Address 
and Signature barcode.
3. Follow the directions in the PDF file, which includes cutting out and securely
 attaching the Signature barcode to your device.

*IMPORTANT* - Failure to attach the Signature barcode to your device will prevent 
AWS from loading your data.  This barcode can only be used with 1 device.

Your job expires after 30 days. If you do not send a device, there is no charge.

Attach the Barcode

After the CreateJob request completes successfully, AWS Import/Export places the shipping instructions and a barcode as a PDF file in the directory you specified in the CreateJob request. AWS Import/Export also places a copy of the PDF file in the Amazon S3 bucket that you specified with the logBucket manifest option. The name of the PDF file is shipping-instructions-YOURJOBID.pdf where YOURJOBID is the name of the job for your request.

The shipping instructions contain information about how and where to ship your device and a barcode that uniquely associates your device with your job request.

Print the PDF and attach the barcode securely to your device.

You must submit a separate job request for each device, and each job request generates a unique barcode. AWS Import/Export validates the barcode on your storage device before starting the data load. If the barcode is invalid (for example, it doesn't match your device), it's missing, or it's illegible, AWS Import/Export will not perform the data load and we will return your storage device.

Important

Attach the barcode securely to your device, with tape on all four sides. Do not shrink the barcode or obscure it in any way. If the barcode is separated from your device, we cannot validate it and we will return your device without performing the data load.

Ship Your Device

It is essential that you prepare your device properly before shipping.

Note

If an error occurs during the CreateJob process, an error message will indicate the cause. You can then either get the shipping instructions from the Amazon S3 bucket, or you can retry the download using the GetShipInfo operation. For more information, see Getting Shipping Information.

Attach the barcode securely to your device.
Pack the power supply, power cable, and interface cables with your storage device. Without these, we can't transfer your data and will return your device.
Send your package to the address provided in the PDF.
For detailed instructions for preparing and shipping your device, see Shipping Your Storage Device.

Important

Your job expires after 30 days. If you do not send a device, there is no charge. You are billed only after AWS Import/Export receives your device. If we receive your package after your job expires, we will return your device. You will only be charged for the shipping fees, if any.

Now, you have explored the getting started steps of AWS Import/Export. To learn more about the product, see Where Do I Go from Here?.

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