Week 2 Worklog

Week 2 Objectives:

  • Deep dive into AWS networking fundamentals and VPC architecture
  • Master EC2 instance management and storage configuration
  • Understand VPC connectivity patterns: Peering and Transit Gateway

Tasks to be carried out this week:

DayTaskStart DateCompletion DateReference Material
1- Study AWS core services overview
  + Compute (EC2, Lambda)
  + Storage (S3, EBS)
  + Networking (VPC, Route53)
- Learn VPC fundamentals: CIDR blocks, Subnets, Route Tables		2025/09/152025/09/15https://000003.awsstudygroup.com/
2- Hands-on Practice:
  + Generate IAM Access Keys
  + Install and configure AWS CLI
  + Test CLI with basic commands
  + Verify credentials and default region		2025/09/162025/09/16https://000003.awsstudygroup.com/
3- Deep dive into EC2:
  + Instance types and use cases
  + AMI selection
  + EBS volume types
- Learn network security: Security Groups vs NACLs
- Configure VPC Flow Logs		2025/09/172025/09/17https://000019.awsstudygroup.com/
4- Lab Session:
  + Launch EC2 instance with custom configuration
  + SSH key pair setup and connection
  + Create and attach EBS volume
- Study VPC Peering architecture and limitations		2025/09/182025/09/18https://000019.awsstudygroup.com/
5- Learn AWS Transit Gateway architecture
- Compare connectivity options:
  + VPC Peering (1-to-1)
  + Transit Gateway (hub-and-spoke)
- Configure Transit Gateway with multiple VPC attachments		2025/09/192025/09/19https://000020.awsstudygroup.com/
6- Weekly knowledge review
- Practice troubleshooting common VPC issues
- Document learnings and best practices		2025/09/202025/09/20
7- Final testing of all configurations
- Complete weekly report
- Self-assessment and knowledge gaps identification		2025/09/212025/09/21

Week 2 Achievements:

  • Mastered VPC architecture: CIDR planning, subnets, route tables, Internet Gateway, NAT Gateway
  • Configured AWS CLI and executed commands: aws configure, aws ec2 describe-instances, aws s3 ls
  • Launched EC2 instance, established SSH connection, attached EBS volume, assigned Elastic IP
  • Implemented Security Groups and NACLs for network security
  • Enabled VPC Flow Logs for traffic monitoring
  • Configured VPC Peering between two VPCs with proper route table updates
  • Deployed AWS Transit Gateway as centralized connectivity hub for multiple VPCs
  • Completed weekly objectives and documented all configurations

Challenges Encountered:

  • CIDR Overlap: VPC Peering failed due to overlapping CIDR blocks → Redesigned with non-overlapping ranges
  • SSH Timeout: Missing Security Group inbound rule for port 22 → Added SSH rule for specific IP
  • NAT Gateway Costs: Discovered hourly charges → Documented cost comparison for future reference
  • Route Misconfiguration: Private subnet couldn’t reach internet → Added default route to NAT Gateway
  • Transit Gateway Delays: Attachments stayed in pending state → Waited 5-10 minutes for propagation
  • Flow Logs Storage: High CloudWatch costs → Switched to S3 destination for cost optimization

References:

AWS Official Documentation:

AWS Workshops & Tutorials:

Technical Articles: