Automated Patch Management and EBS Backup for EC2 Instances on AWS

Automate the weekly patching of EC2 instances and daily backup of EBS volumes through snapshots, including the removal of old snapshots, to meet the client’s requirements for a more secure and maintainable infrastructure.

• AWS: EC2, EBS, Systems Manager (Patch Manager, Maintenance Windows), Lambda, CloudWatch Events

• Automation: AWS Systems Manager, AWS Lambda, Snapshot Lifecycle Management

• Security and Compliance: Patch Baselines, Compliance Reporting, Automated Snapshot Retention

• Assessment and Requirements Gathering: - Evaluated the client’s existing AWS environment, which included 8 EC2 instances across multiple regions. - Identified the need for automated patch management and daily EBS volume backups, with a policy to retain snapshots for 30 days.

• Automation Setup Using AWS Systems Manager: - Patch Management Automation: Configured AWS Systems Manager to automate weekly patching of the EC2 instances. Created a Systems Manager Maintenance Window and Patch Manager task to run the patch job on all instances every week. - Patch Baselines: Defined custom patch baselines to specify which updates should be applied, ensuring that critical and security patches were prioritized. - Patch Compliance Reporting: Set up Systems Manager to generate compliance reports, allowing the client to review the patch status of all EC2 instances.

• Automated EBS Backup and Retention Policy: - Snapshot Automation: Developed an AWS Lambda function and scheduled it using Amazon CloudWatch Events to take daily snapshots of all EBS volumes attached to the EC2 instances. - Snapshot Retention Management: Extended the Lambda function to automatically delete snapshots older than 30 days, ensuring that storage costs were controlled while maintaining compliance with the client’s data retention policy.

• Testing and Validation: - Test Environment Setup: Created a test environment to validate the automated patching process and snapshot creation and deletion. Ensured that the patching process did not disrupt the normal operation of the instances. - Backup and Restoration Testing: Conducted tests to confirm that EBS snapshots were successfully created and could be used to restore volumes in case of data loss or corruption.

• Documentation and Handover: - Comprehensive Documentation: Documented the entire automation process, including the Systems Manager setup, Lambda function code, and CloudWatch Events configuration. Provided detailed instructions for monitoring and managing the automation. - Client Training: Conducted a handover session with the client’s IT team, demonstrating how to monitor the automated patching and backup processes and adjust settings as needed.

Successfully implemented an automated solution for weekly patch management and daily EBS backups, meeting the client’s requirements for enhanced security and operational efficiency. The automated deletion of old snapshots ensured that storage costs were minimized while maintaining data availability and compliance.