Preparation

Before we begin using Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager (DLM) to automate the creation, retention, and management of EBS Snapshots, we need to prepare some basic resources on AWS.

Objective

In this section, we will perform the following steps:

  • Launch an EC2 Instance to create an attached EBS Volume. This volume will be the target resource that DLM uses to create snapshots automatically.
  • Tag the EBS Volume with the name FCAJ-Volume. This tag plays a critical role because DLM will use it to identify which volumes need to be backed up.

Why Tag the Volume?

Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager works based on tag-based targeting. When creating a lifecycle policy, you will specify the tag that DLM will search for on EBS Volumes. Only volumes with matching tags will have snapshots automatically created by DLM according to the configured schedule.

Ensure that you have logged into the AWS Management Console with an account that has sufficient permissions to create EC2 Instances and manage EBS Volumes before starting.