Week 1: Cloud Lab - Accout Creation in AWS/Azure

Overview

The lab course provides hands-on, industry-oriented training on cloud platforms: Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure. Google Cloud Platform (GCP) is mentioned as a major vendor but is not used in this lab. Goal: learn cloud services, deploy applications, and gain resume-ready skills useful for jobs and certifications.

Platform assignment

• Each student is assigned one platform (AWS or Azure) for the entire semester — no switching.
• Assignment alternates by roll number. Example patterns:
  • Section A: roll 1, 5, 9, 13… → AWS; roll 3, 7, 11, 15… → Azure.
  • Section B: a similar alternating pattern shifted for even roll numbers.
• The class representative (CR) will share a document listing names, roll numbers, and assigned platforms.

Lab rules, conduct, and assessments

• Maintain a lab notebook / observation record: write weekly learnings and exercises.
• Internet access is provided in the lab; stay focused on cloud work and minimize unrelated browsing.
• Continuous assessment across 10 weeks (weekly vivas/quizzes): total 30 marks.
• Notebook graded: 10 marks.
• Mandatory project (deploy a web application): 30 marks.
• Final lab assessment: 30 marks.
• Instructor will delete student services and deactivate accounts in the presence of students before lab closure to avoid charges.

Week 1 task (detailed)

Primary task for Week 1:

1. Create a free-tier account on your assigned platform (AWS or Azure).
2. Explore regions, availability zones, and core services.

Important notes:

• The free-tier offers limited resources (commonly around 6 months), but card verification is required.
• A debit/credit card is needed; a small verification charge (≈1 rupee) is taken and later refunded.
• Record your account username/password in your notebook.
• Delete resources and deactivate accounts before the free-tier expires to avoid billing.

Warning: Always delete resources you create and deactivate accounts before the free-tier ends. Charges can accrue if services remain active.

Account creation & exploration guidance

• Use official sign-up pages (search “AWS account creation” or “Azure create free account”).
• Explore regions and availability zones (examples: Asia, Europe, US; India regions like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata). Note that some services are region- or zone-specific.
• Use platform documentation and tutorials to learn services (AWS docs and Azure docs). Instructor recommends reading docs before performing exercises.

Example weekly topics / experiments

• Week 1: Create free-tier account; explore regions, zones, services.
• Week 2: Identity and security services (IAM, roles, access control).
• Early weeks: Storage services (AWS S3, Azure Blob) — create buckets/containers, upload/delete files, understand settings.
• Later weeks: Deploy web application (project), plus other standard cloud services/tasks mapped to industry needs.

Completing these experiments enables students to list AWS/Azure on their resume and helps prepare for related certifications.

Practical cautions & tips

• Always delete resources after each lab session (or at least before the semester ends) to avoid charges.
• Multiple students may reuse the same card details if necessary; responsibility for deactivation rests with the student.
• Document everything in the lab notebook: credentials, service names, and actions performed.
• Use lab time effectively — many alumni obtained jobs after similar training.

Support & schedule

• The instructor will assist with account creation and zone/service exploration in the first lab (session mentioned on Tuesday, 6th January).
• Weekly instructions for the next lab will be provided in advance.

Main speakers / sources

• Course instructor — primary speaker and lab coordinator.
• Class Representative (CR) — manages platform assignment distribution.
• Official documentation from AWS and Microsoft Azure — primary learning resources.
• Informal references from industry alumni/seniors who previously used these platforms.