activateWindows enableJumboFrames enableOpenSsh executeProgram executeScript extendRootPartition initializeVolume optimizeEna setAdminAccount setDnsSuffix setHostName setWallpaper startSsm sysprep writeFile

Task definitions for EC2Launch v2 startup tasks

Each task that EC2Launch v2 runs during launch or statup has its own set of properties and requirements. Task details include settings for how often a task runs – once, or always, what stage of the agent boot process it runs in, syntax, and YAML document examples. For more information, review the task details shown in this reference.

activateWindows

Activates Windows against a set of AWS KMS servers. Activation is skipped if the instance is detected as Bring-Your-Own-License (BYOL).

Frequency — once

AllowedStages — [PreReady]

Inputs —

activation: (map)

type: (string) activation type to use, set to amazon

Example


task: activateWindows
  inputs:
    activation:
    type: amazon

enableJumboFrames

Enables Jumbo Frames, which increase the maximum transmission unit (MTU) of the network adapter. For more information, see Jumbo frames (9001 MTU).

Frequency — always

AllowedStages — [PostReady, UserData]

Inputs — none

Example


task: enableJumboFrames

enableOpenSsh

Enables Windows OpenSSH and adds the public key for the instance to the authorized keys folder.

Frequency — once

AllowedStages — [PreReady, UserData]

Inputs — none

Example

The following example shows how to enable OpenSSH on an instance, and to add the public key for the instance to the authorized keys folder. This configuration works only on instances running Windows Server 2019 and later versions.


task: enableOpenSsh

executeProgram

Runs a program with optional arguments and a specified frequency.

Stages: You can run the executeProgram task during the PreReady, PostReady, and UserData stages.

Frequency: configurable, see Inputs.

Inputs

This section contains one or more programs for the executeProgram task to run (inputs). Each input can include the following configurable settings:

frequency (string)

(Required) Specify exactly one of the following values:

once
always

path (string)

(Required) The file path for the executable to run.

arguments (list of strings)

(Optional) A comma separated list of arguments to provide to the program as input.

runAs (string)

(Required) Must be set to localSystem

Output

All of the tasks write logfile entries to the agent.log file. Additional output from the executeProgram task is stored separately in a dynamically named folder, as follows:

%LocalAppData%\Temp\EC2Launch#########\outputfilename.tmp

The exact path to the output files is included in the agent.log file, for example:


Program file is created at: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Temp\EC2Launch123456789\ExecuteProgramInputs.tmp
Output file is created at: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Temp\EC2Launch123456789\Output.tmp
Error file is created at: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Temp\EC2Launch123456789\Err.tmp

Output files for the `executeProgram` task

ExecuteProgramInputs.tmp: Contains the path for the executable, and all of the input parameters that the executeProgram task passes to it when it runs.
Output.tmp: Contains runtime output from the program that the executeProgram task runs.
Err.tmp: Contains runtime error messages from the program that the executeProgram task runs.

Examples

The following examples show how to run an executable file from a local directory on an instance with the executeProgram task.

Example 1: Setup executable with one argument

This example shows an executeProgram task that runs a setup executable in quiet mode.


task: executeProgram
  inputs:
    - frequency: always
      path: C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\setup.exe
      arguments: ['-quiet']

Example 2: VLC executable with two arguments

This example shows an executeProgram task that runs a VLC executable file with two arguments passed as input parameters.


task: executeProgram
  inputs:
    - frequency: always
      path: C:\vlc-3.0.11-win64.exe 
      arguments: ['/L=1033','/S']
      runAs: localSystem

executeScript

Runs a script with optional arguments and a specified frequency. Script behavior depends on what mode the agent runs the scripts in – inline, or detached.

Inline (default): The EC2Launch v2 agent runs scripts one at a time (detach: false). This is the default setting.

Note
When your inline script issues a reset or sysprep command, it runs immediately and resets the agent. The current task finishes, then the agent shuts down without running any further tasks.
For example, if the task that issues the command would have been followed by a startSsm task (included by default after user data runs), the task doesn't run and the Systems Manager service never starts.
Detached: The EC2Launch v2 agent runs scripts concurrently with other tasks (detach: true).

Note
When your detached script issues a reset or sysprep command, those commands wait for the agent to finish before they run. Tasks after the executeScript will still run.

Stages: You can run the executeScript task during the PreReady, PostReady, and UserData stages.

Frequency: configurable, see Inputs.

Inputs

This section contains one or more scripts for the executeScript task to run (inputs). Each input can include the following configurable settings:

frequency (string)

(Required) Specify exactly one of the following values:

once
always

type (string)

(Required) Specify exactly one of the following values:

batch
powershell

arguments (list of strings)

(Optional) A list of string arguments to pass to the shell. This parameter isn't supported for type: batch. If no arguments are passed, EC2Launch v2 adds the following argument by default: -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted.

content (string)

(Required) Script content.

runAs (string)

(Required) Specify exactly one of the following values:

admin
localSystem

detach (Boolean)

(Optional) The EC2Launch v2 agent defaults to run scripts one at a time (detach: false). To run the script concurrently with other tasks, set the value to true (detach: true).

Note

Script exit codes (including 3010) have no effect when detach is set to true.

Output

All of the tasks write logfile entries to the agent.log file. Additional output from script that the executeScript task runs is stored separately in a dynamically named folder, as follows:

%LocalAppData%\Temp\EC2Launch#########\outputfilename.ext

The exact path to the output files is included in the agent.log file, for example:


Program file is created at: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Temp\EC2Launch123456789\UserScript.ps1
Output file is created at: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Temp\EC2Launch123456789\Output.tmp
Error file is created at: C:\Windows\system32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Temp\EC2Launch123456789\Err.tmp

Output files for the `executeScript` task

UserScript.ext

Contains the script that the executeScript task ran. The file extension depends on the type of script you specified in the type parameter for the executeScript task, as follows:

If the type is batch, then the file extension is .bat.
If the type is powershell, then the file extension is .ps1.

Output.tmp

Contains runtime output from the script that the executeScript task runs.

Err.tmp

Contains runtime error messages from the script that the executeScript task runs.

Examples

The following examples show how to run an inline script with the executeScript task.

Example 1: Hello world output text file

This example shows an executeScript task that runs a PowerShell script to create a "Hello world" text file on the C: drive.


task: executeScript
  inputs:
    - frequency: always
      type: powershell
      runAs: admin
      content: |-
        New-Item -Path 'C:\PowerShellTest.txt' -ItemType File
        Set-Content 'C:\PowerShellTest.txt' "Hello world"

Example 2: Run two scripts

This example shows that the executeScript task can run more than one script, and the script type doesn't necessarily need to match.

The first script (type: powershell) writes a summary of the processes that are currently running on the instance to a text file located on the C: drive.

The second script (batch) writes the system information to the Output.tmp file.


task: executeScript
  inputs:
    - frequency: always
      type: powershell
      content: |
        Get-Process | Out-File -FilePath C:\Process.txt
      runAs: localSystem
    - frequency: always
      type: batch
        content: |
        systeminfo

Example 3: Idempotent system configuration with reboots

This example shows an executeScript task that runs an idempotent script to perform the following system configuration with a reboot between each step:

Rename the computer.
Join the computer to the domain.
Enable Telnet.

The script ensures that each operation runs one time only. This prevents a reboot loop and makes the script idempotent.


task: executeScript
  inputs:
    - frequency: always
      type: powershell
      runAs: localSystem
      content: |-
        $name = $env:ComputerName
        if ($name -ne $desiredName) {
          Rename-Computer -NewName $desiredName
          exit 3010
        }
        $domain = Get-ADDomain
        if ($domain -ne $desiredDomain) 
        {
          Add-Computer -DomainName $desiredDomain
          exit 3010
        }
        $telnet = Get-WindowsFeature -Name Telnet-Client
        if (-not $telnet.Installed)
        {
          Install-WindowsFeature -Name "Telnet-Client"
          exit 3010 
        }

extendRootPartition

Extends the root volume to use all of the available space on the disk.

Frequency — once

AllowedStages — [Boot]

Inputs — none

Example


task: extendRootPartition

initializeVolume

Initializes empty volumes that are attached to the instance so that they're activated and partitioned. The launch agent skips initialization if it detects that the volume is not empty. A volume is considered empty if the first 4 KiB of the volume are empty, or if the volume doesn't have a Windows-recognizable drive layout.

The letter input parameter is always applied when this task runs, regardless of whether the drive is already initialized.

The initializeVolume task performs the following actions.

Set disk attributes offline and readonly to false.
Create a partition. If no partition type is specified in the partition input parameter, the following defaults apply:
- If the disk size is smaller than 2 TB, set the partition type to mbr.
- If the disk size is 2 TB or larger, set the partition type to gpt.
Format the volume as NTFS.
Set the volume label as follows:
- Use the value of the name input parameter, if specified.
- If the volume is ephemeral, and no name was specified, set the volume label to Temporary Storage Z.

If the volume is ephemeral (SSD or HDD – not Amazon EBS), create an Important.txt file at the root of the volume with the following content:


This is an 'Instance Store' disk and is provided at no additional charge.

*This disk offers increased performance since it is local to the host
*The number of Instance Store disks available to an instance vary by instance type
*DATA ON THIS DRIVE WILL BE LOST IN CASES OF IMPAIRMENT OR STOPPING THE INSTANCE. PLEASE ENSURE THAT ANY IMPORTANT DATA IS BACKED UP FREQUENTLY

For more information, please refer to: Instance store temporary block storage for Amazon EC2 instances.

Set the drive letter to the value specified in the letter input parameter.

Stages: You can run the initializeVolume task during the PostReady and UserData stages.

Frequency: always.

Inputs

You can configure runtime parameters as follows:

devices (list of maps)

(Conditional) Configuration for each device that the launch agent initializes. This is required if the initialize input parameter is set to devices.

device (string, required) – Identifies the device during instance creation. For example, xvdb, xvdf, or \dev\nvme0n1.
letter (string, optional) – One character. The drive letter to assign.
name (string, optional) – The volume name to assign.
partition (string, optional) – Specify one of the following values for the type of partition to create, or let the launch agent default based on volume size:
- mbr
- gpt

initialize (string)

(Required) Specify exactly one of the following values:

all
devices

Examples

The following examples show sample input configurations for the initializeVolume task.

Example 1: Initialize two volumes on an instance

This example shows an initializeVolume task that initializes two secondary volumes on an instance. The device named DataVolume2 in the example is ephemeral.


task: initializeVolume
inputs:
  initialize: devices
  devices:
  - device: xvdb
    name: DataVolume1
    letter: D
    partition: mbr
  - device: /dev/nvme0n1
    name: DataVolume2
    letter: E
    partition: gpt

Example 2: Initialize EBS volumes attached to an instance

This example shows an initializeVolume task that initializes all empty EBS volumes that are attached to the instance.


task: initializeVolume
inputs:
  initialize: all

optimizeEna

Optimizes ENA settings based on the current instance type; might reboot the instance.

Frequency — always

AllowedStages — [PostReady, UserData]

Inputs — none

Example


task: optimizeEna

setAdminAccount

Sets attributes for the default administrator account that is created on the local machine.

Frequency — once

AllowedStages — [PreReady]

Inputs —

name: (string) name of the administrator account

password: (map)

type: (string) strategy to set the password, either as static, random, or doNothing

data: (string) stores data if the type field is static

Example


task: setAdminAccount
inputs:
  name: Administrator
  password:
  type: random

setDnsSuffix

Adds DNS suffixes to the list of search suffixes. Only suffixes that do not already exist are added to the list. For more information about how launch agents set DNS suffixes, see Configure DNS Suffix for EC2 Windows launch agents.

Frequency — always

AllowedStages — [PreReady]

Inputs —

suffixes: (list of strings) list of one or more valid DNS suffixes; valid substitution variables are $REGION and $AZ

Example


task: setDnsSuffix
inputs:
  suffixes:
  - $REGION.ec2-utilities.amazonaws.com

setHostName

Sets the hostname of the computer to a custom string or, if hostName is not specified, the private IPv4 address.

Frequency — always

AllowedStages — [PostReady, UserData]

Inputs —

hostName: (string) optional host name, which must be formatted as follows.

Must be 15 characters or less
Must contain only alphanumeric (a-z, A-Z, 0-9) and hyphen (-) characters.
Must not consist entirely of numerical characters.

reboot: (boolean) denotes whether a reboot is permitted when the hostname is changed

Example


task: setHostName
inputs:
  reboot: true

setWallpaper

Creates the setwallpaper.lnk shortcut file in the startup folder of each existing user except for Default User. This shortcut file runs when the user logs in for the first time after instance boot. It sets up the instance with a custom wallpaper that displays the instance attributes.

The shortcut file path is:


$env:SystemDrive/Users/<user>/AppData/Roaming/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs/Startup/setwallpaper.lnk

Note

When you remove the setWallpaper task, it does not delete this shortcut file. For more information, see setWallpaper task is not enabled but the wallpaper resets at reboot.

Stages: You can configure wallpaper during the PreReady and UserData stages.

Frequency: always

Wallpaper configuration

You can use the following settings to configure your wallpaper.

Inputs

Input parameters that you provide, and attributes that you can set to configure your wallpaper:

attributes (list of strings)

(Optional) You can add one or more of the following attributes to your wallpaper:

architecture
availabilityZone
hostName
instanceId
instanceSize
memory
network
privateIpAddress
publicIpAddress

instanceTags

(Optional) You can use exactly one of the following options for this setting.

AllTags (string) – Add all instance tags to your wallpaper.
```
instanceTags: AllTags
```
instanceTags (list of strings) – Specify a list of instance tag names to add to your wallpaper. For example:
```
instanceTags:
  - Tag 1
  - Tag 2
```

path (string)

(Required) The filename path of the local .jpg format image file to use for your wallpaper image.

Example

The following example shows wallpaper configuration inputs that set the file path for the wallpaper background image, along with instance tags named Tag 1 and Tag 2, and attributes that include the host name, instance ID, and private and public IP addresses for the instance.


task: setWallpaper
inputs:
  path: C:\ProgramData\Amazon\EC2Launch\wallpaper\Ec2Wallpaper.jpg
  attributes:
  - hostName
  - instanceId
  - privateIpAddress
  - publicIpAddress
instanceTags:
  - Tag 1
  - Tag 2

Note

You must enable tags in metadata to show tags on the wallpaper. For more information about instance tags and metadata, see View tags for your EC2 instances using instance metadata.

startSsm

Starts the Systems Manager (SSM) service following Sysprep.

Frequency — always

AllowedStages — [PostReady, UserData]

Inputs — none

Example


task: startSsm

sysprep

Resets the service state, updates unattend.xml, disables RDP, and runs Sysprep. This task runs only after all other tasks are completed.

Frequency — once

AllowedStages — [UserData]

Inputs —

clean: (boolean) cleans instance logs before running Sysprep

shutdown: (boolean) shuts down the instance after running Sysprep

Example


task: sysprep
inputs:
clean: true
shutdown: true

writeFile

Writes a file to a destination.

Frequency — see Inputs

AllowedStages — [PostReady, UserData]

Inputs —

frequency: (string) one of once or always

destination: (string) path to which to write the content

content: (string) text to write to the destination

Example


task: writeFile
inputs:
  - frequency: once
  destination: C:\Users\Administrator\Desktop\booted.txt
  content: Windows Has Booted

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Document Conventions

Configure EC2Launch v2

Troubleshoot EC2Launch v2

Task definitions for EC2Launch v2 startup tasks

EC2Launch v2 Tasks

activateWindows

enableJumboFrames

enableOpenSsh

executeProgram

Output files for the executeProgram task

Example 1: Setup executable with one argument

Example 2: VLC executable with two arguments

executeScript

Note

Note

Note

Output files for the executeScript task

Example 1: Hello world output text file

Example 2: Run two scripts

Example 3: Idempotent system configuration with reboots

extendRootPartition

initializeVolume

Example 1: Initialize two volumes on an instance

Example 2: Initialize EBS volumes attached to an instance

optimizeEna

setAdminAccount

setDnsSuffix

setHostName

setWallpaper

Note

Wallpaper configuration

Example

Note

startSsm

sysprep

writeFile

Output files for the `executeProgram` task

Output files for the `executeScript` task